This Australian and international review documents and critically examines rapid policy changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and recession, regarding:

• Housing security and evictions;
• Housing and income support payments; and
• Homelessness.

It also identifies policies for building back better after the crisis.

Australian fieldwork includes an in-depth examination of policy changes and their impacts, informed through interviews with a panel of key sector stakeholders, service providers and service users, and desktop analysis of legislation, policies and other documents.

Quantitative analyses to gauge the impacts of policy and economic change on housing outcomes cover:

• Changing private rental market conditions
• Outcomes of rent reduction negotiations
• The changing incidence of evictions and homelessness.

The study runs in parallel with UK research led by the Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) at Glasgow University, using similar qualitative research methods and instruments. It also includes a higher-level review of equivalent policy change in six other countries.

Watch Professor Hal Pawson’s 2 July keynote presentation to the Asia Pacific Network for Housing Research conference:

Australian report 1 (Feb 2021)

Australian report 2 (November 2021)

International comparative report (March 2022)