With house prices out of reach for many, interest rates on the rise and social housing stocks plummeting, Australians are facing a complete housing crisis. At a time when the cost of living continues to inflate, there is increasing pressure being felt by Australians across the spectrum: those who own houses, who are looking to buy, looking to rent or looking for an alternative to homelessness are all facing difficult times.

We now know that the shortfall in Australia’s social housing stocks sits at about 450,000. Even with the newly elected federal government working on plans to add 20,000 homes in its first five years, the number is still woefully inadequate to cater to the growing number of people who find secure housing out of their reach. This issue is only inflated in Australia’s regional towns and cities, where rising populations (thanks to the sea and tree changes which boomed over the last 24 months) are putting increasing demand on available rental accommodation, meaning lower income earners are being left out in the cold.

In a country that celebrates home ownership as a signal of success, this crisis strikes us at our core. We need innovative ideas and unusual solutions, groundbreaking movements that have the capacity to address the breadth of the problem and the amount of people and families it threatens to swallow. We know we require a fundamental structural shift in the way we think about our homes, our communities and our approach to equity and fairness but how do we set ourselves on this path and make lasting change?

We ask this question and more at the 16th annual Sustainability Summit, where a panel of experts will answer “where do we go from here?” Led by David Kaunitz, join advocates, academics and architects as we address a full scale solution and the steps we need to take to get there.

Session information

Social and Affordable Housing in Australia - where do we go from here?

Thursday November 10, 4:35pm-5:35pm AEDT

1 formal CPD point

You’ll learn:

  • The state of affordable housing in Australia and its relationship to social housing
  • The livability of existing housing in Australia as it relates to health, wellbeing and thermal performance
  • The effect of urban sprawl and mass relocation on the housing stocks of rural townships
  • Strategies to address increasing house prices
  • Roadmaps to an increase in, and improve on, social housing in Australia

Session speakers:

David Kaunitz (Moderator)
Director, Kaunitz Yeung Architecture

Ali Galbraith
Director, Breathe

Lee Hillam
Co-Director, Dunn & Hillam Architects

Professor Hal Pawson
Professor of Housing Research and Policy, University of New South Wales

Allison Stout
Assistant Director - Architecture, GHDWoodHead

Maria Yanez
Development Manager & Advocacy, Nightingale Housing

Event Information

The 16th annual Sustainability Summit will be held on Thursday November 10 as a hybrid event. Join in person at the Shangri La Sydney, or online wherever you have an internet connection. Get your ticket now and be in with the chance of winning from our sustainable prize pool.\

The Sustainability Summit and Awards are proudly presented by Best of the Best and Carbon Neutral Partner Autex Acoustics, and category partners Big Ass Fans, BlueScope, Bondor, Electrolux, ForestOne, GH Commercial, Holcim, Kaolin, Network Architectural, Next Timber by Timberlink, Sika, Siniat, Stormtech, Verosol and Wood Solutions.