Research & Policy Intelligence

630+ indexed reports across AHURI, AIHW, ABS, Housing Australia and 20+ organisations. Search the evidence base, analyse policy impact, track program delivery, and browse the source library.

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Reports indexed
630+
Indexed passages
5,059
Source organisations
20+
Publication range
2004–2025
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Key Findings — Evidence Base
Pre-synthesised · Full search above for deeper queries
National Housing Deficit
640,000 households are in core housing need today — projected to reach ~940,000 by 2041 at current delivery rates. The gap between social housing need and supply widens every year. HAFF and the Housing Accord together represent the largest federal intervention since the 1950s — but remain structurally insufficient at current delivery rates.
Sources: AHURI Final Report 409, 2024 · AIHW Housing Assistance 2023
Construction Cost Inflation
58.5% cost escalation since 2019 (ABS PPI + Rawlinsons) means every $1B announced then delivers ~37% fewer homes today. Government programs face compounding structural underfunding: every year without cost-adjustment reduces effective delivery capacity. The $10B HAFF has the effective purchasing power of a ~$6.3B fund at 2019 costs.
Sources: ABS PPI 6427.0 · Rawlinsons Construction Cost Guide 2025
HAFF Delivery Progress
18,650 homes contracted (Rounds 1–2 only) — 47% of the 40,000 five-year target. Round 3 applications opened January 2026, targeting the remaining 21,350 homes. Full program delivery by 2029 requires flawless Round 3 execution with no contract failures or construction delays.
Sources: Housing Australia media release 3 Jul 2025 · HAFF Round 3 launch Nov 2025
CHP vs Direct Delivery
AHURI research consistently shows CHPs deliver 15–20% more dwellings per million invested compared to state housing authorities, with measurably better long-term tenancy outcomes. The CHP sector's growth from 16% to 26% of social housing stock since 2013 reflects this efficiency advantage — accelerated by HAFF's CHP-first design.
Sources: AHURI Final Report 378, 2022 · AIHW Housing Assistance 2024
Planning Reform Potential
AHURI analysis finds planning reform — inclusionary zoning, density uplift, fast-track DA pathways — could unlock 50,000–100,000 additional dwellings nationally within 5 years at near-zero additional government capital cost. Political resistance and council-level opposition, not technical feasibility, are the primary barriers to implementation.
Sources: AHURI: Planning reform and housing supply in Australian cities, 2023
Homelessness Service Gaps
Australian specialist homelessness services assisted 290,000 people in 2022–23, but only 38% of requests for immediate accommodation were met. Evidence strongly supports Rapid Rehousing over transitional shelter-first approaches (3:1 on sustained housing outcomes), yet funding allocation still skews heavily toward transitional models.
Sources: AIHW Specialist Homelessness Services Annual Report 2022-23
Cross-Portfolio ROI — Budget Ammunition
Per $1 invested in social housing · pre-synthesised from AHURI + government actuarial research
Every dollar invested in social housing generates savings across five other government portfolios. Combined, these cross-portfolio savings make the case that housing investment is fiscally positive — not a cost to government but a net saving. Use this table in budget submissions and Cabinet briefings.
Total ROI
$1.70
saved per $1 invested
$0.40
saved per $1
Health System
Fewer emergency department presentations, reduced hospital admissions, lower mental health crisis costs. Rough sleepers cost the health system ~$28–40k/year vs ~$5k for a housed person.
$0.30
saved per $1
Justice & Corrections
Housing instability is a primary driver of criminal justice involvement. Short-term incarceration costs $300–400/day in Australia. Stable housing reduces recidivism and court system costs.
$0.45
saved per $1
Child Protection
Family homelessness is a leading driver of children entering out-of-home care, which costs $60–120k/child/year. Stable housing is the most effective primary prevention lever.
$0.20
saved per $1
Welfare & Employment
Stable housing significantly improves employment outcomes and reduces dependency on income support. Employed tenants also contribute income tax, compounding the fiscal return.
$0.35
saved per $1
Emergency Accommodation
Crisis and transitional accommodation costs $80–150/person/night — 6–10× the cost-equivalent of a permanent social tenancy. Every social home prevents hundreds of crisis-bed nights annually.
Sources: AHURI Final Report No. 338 (2020) · Victorian DHHS Supportive Housing Evaluation (2021) · Productivity Commission Report on Government Services (2022) · AIHW Child Protection data (2023) · DSS actuarial review
Note: Savings are estimates from published evaluations.
Verify against primary sources before use in formal submissions.