Australian Housing Conditions: A Data Infrastructure

In 2024, the Australian Housing Conditions Survey will collect data from another 20,000 households. This research project is the biggest national survey collecting information on housing conditions across all Australian states and territories.

Researchers and policy-makers know very little about housing conditions. This data infrastructure will provide the knowledge base and comparison sample for national and international research, and allow better urban, economic and social policy development. This project is being conducted by researchers from the University of Adelaide, the University of South Australia, the University of Melbourne, Swinburne University of Technology, Curtin University and Torrens University led by Professor Emma Baker. The research is funded by the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities scheme in partnership with the universities.

Participant information sheet   Access the dataset  Read the data descriptor

Our Housing Australia Report

Our Housing Australia report

To celebrate the public release of the dataset we invited 20 leading housing commentators and researchers to explore the data and contribute short reflections on the state of Australian housing, homes and households. The collection of insights contained in this book give us a valuable and broad view of housing in contemporary Australia.

Read the report  Read our policy brief

The research team

Emma Baker

Professor Emma Baker

Emma Baker is Professor of Housing and has a PhD in Geography and BA (Hons.) from the University of Adelaide. She has previously held NHMRC and ARC Fellowships focused on examining the relationship between health and housing. She led the 2016 ARC LIEF funded project ‘An Australian Housing Conditions Data Infrastructure’ and its 2020 follow up, 'An Australian Rental Housing Conditions Data Infrastructure'. She has expertise in collecting, managing and analysis of large housing datasets.

Associate Professor Lyrian Daniel

Associate Professor Lyrian Daniel (University of South Australia)

Lyrian Daniel is a research-intensive Associate Professor in Architecture in UniSA Creative. Lyrian Daniel will use this Data Infrastructure, enhanced with linked environmental data, to explore the complex interactions between housing and household characteristics that affect indoor environmental quality, and contribute evidence for the development of a national standard for indoor thermal environments.

Professor Andrew Beer

Professor Andrew Beer (University of South Australia)

Andrew Beer is the Executive Dean of UniSA Business. He has led major research projects focused on tenure effects and housing assistance. His research interests include the operation and functioning of Australia’s housing markets (including the provision of housing for persons with a disability), the drivers of regional growth, structural change within the economy, and the impacts of an ageing population.  

Professor Rebecca Bentley

Professor Rebecca Bentley (University of Melbourne)

Rebecca Bentley has a strong interest in quantitative research methods and multi-disciplinary collaborations are a key focus in each of these themes. Bentley will bring a health perspective to the development of the proposed Data Infrastructure to enable its use within the field of population health research to answer important questions about how conditions in the rental market shape population health in contemporary Australia.

Professor Wendy Stone

Professor Wendy Stone (Swinburne University of Technology)

Wendy Stone’s research is highly industry engaged with substantial applied government and policy research experience. Stone will use the Data Infrastructure to extend existing evidence around housing, home and household wellbeing among lower income households in rental sub-markets, focusing on vulnerable population groups including families and children, people living with disability, single persons, elderly and migrant households.

Professor Steven Rowley

Professor Steven Rowley (Curtin University)

Steven Rowley has extensive experience of leading, designing, administering and analysing large-scale surveys in the area of housing affordability, including three surveys of over 3,000 respondents in the last four years. Rowley's research focus for this dataset is on developing evidence on rental quality and wellbeing outcomes. 

Associate Professor Christian (Andi) Nygaard

Associate Professor Andi Nygaard (Swinburne University of Technology)

Andi Nygaard’s research includes the processes of urban and housing systems change with focus on on long-term neighbourhood dynamics, housing market efficiency and affordability, international migrants in housing, neighbourhoods and labour markets, and institutional economics of governance adaptations in the provision of social housing.

Professor Kerry London

Professor Kerry London (Torrens University)

Kerry London has a long history of research in construction project management research and has successfully obtained and acquitted projects (e.g. ARC Discovery and Linkage projects, CRC for construction innovation, Department of Industry, Australia China Science and Research Fund). In the last five years, London has led housing projects on innovation, off-site manufacturing, building information modelling, and collaborative practices.

Ms Claire Morey

Ms Claire Morey

Claire completed her Master of Philosophy in History at the University of Adelaide in 2021. Her area of expertise is domestic violence in
nineteenth-century South Australia, with a particular focus on economic abuse and divorce. Claire's role in the project is as project
officer, assisting in the management of the day-to-day activities of the project, including ethical approvals, survey commissioning and reporting to the CI team.

Publications library

This project is the third version of the Australian Housing Conditions Survey, which was initially carried out in 2016 and 2020.

To see how researchers have used the 2016 and 2020 Survey data, view the AHCD publications library below.

 

  1. Azimi, A., C.K.H., Tyvimaa, T., Skitmore, M. 2024. Adoption of energy-efficiency measures by Australian low-income households. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment. doi:10.1007/s10901-023-10104-3.
     
  2. Coulburn, L., Miller, W. & Susilawati, C. 2024. Onset characteristics and breadth of occupants’ long-lasting building-related symptoms attributed to living in damp housing conditions in Australia: Qualitative insights. Building and Environment.
     
  3. Bower, M. et al. 2023. The Social Determinants of Loneliness during COVID-19: Personal, Community, and Societal Predictors and Implications for Treatment. Behaviour Change. doi:10.1017/bec.2023.3
     
  4. Moore, R. 2023. The animal in the walls: On the rise of the fungal gothic. Griffith Review. 82, 118-128. doi:10.3316/informit.382914838573452
     
  5. Grander, M. & Stephens, M. 2023. The Routledge Handbook of Housing and Welfare. 71-87. Routledge, Abingdon.
     
  6. Hulse, K., Veeroja, P. & Goodall, Z. 2023. Housing and Welfare in Australia. In The Routledge Handbook of Housing and Welfare. Edited by Martin Grander and Mark Stephens. 71-87. Routledge, Abingdon.
     
  7. Mishra, S.R., Wilson, T., Andrabi, H., Ait, D., Ang Li, O., Akpan, E., Bentley, R. and Blakely, T. 2023. The total health gains and cost savings of eradicating cold housing in Australia. Social Science & Medicine. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115954.
     
  8. Barlow C.F., Daniel, L., Baker, E. 2023. Cold homes in Australia: Questioning our assumptions about prevalence, Energy Research & Social Science. doi:10.1016/j.erss.2023.103124
     
  9. James L., Daniel, L., Bentley, R. & Baker, E. 2023. Housing niches: new directions for housing and urban policy, International Journal of Housing Policy. doi:10.1080/19491247.2023.2254466.
     
  10. Baker, E., Morey, C., Daniel, L. et al. 2023. An Australian housing conditions data infrastructure. Scientific Data. doi:10.1038/s41597-023-02739-2.
     
  11. Bower, M., Buckle, C., Rugel, E., Donohoe-Bales, A., McGrath, L., Gournay, K., Barrett, E., Phibbs, P., & Teesson M. 2023. ‘Trapped’, ‘anxious’ and ‘traumatised’: COVID-19 intensified the impact of housing inequality on Australians’ mental health, International Journal of Housing Policy. doi:10.1080/19491247.2021.1940686.
     
  12. Veeroja, P., Goodall, Z., Guity-Zapata, N.A. & Stone, W. 2023. Private renters in shared housing: investigating housing conditions and mental well-being in Australia during COVID-19. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment. doi:10.1007/s10901-023-10038-w
     
  13. Lang, M. et al. 2022. Pro-social concerns characterise landlords’ energy efficiency retrofit behaviour: evidence and implications for energy efficiency Policy in Victoria, Australia. International Journal of Housing Policy. doi: 10.1080/19491247.2022.2162197
     
  14. Aplin, T., Lowies, B., & McGreal, S. 2022. The home environment: influences on the health of young-old and old-old adults in Australia. Ageing and 
        Society.     doi:10.1017/S0144686X22000757. 
     
  15. Baker, E., Daniel, L., Beer, A., Bentley, R., Rowley, S., Baddeley, M., London, K., Stone, W., Nygaard, C., Hulse, K. and Lockwood, A., 2022. An Australian rental housing conditions research infrastructure. Scientific data. doi:10.1038/s41597-022-01136-5.
     
  16. Coulburn, L. & Miller, W. 2022. Prevalence, Risk Factors and Impacts Related to Mould-Affected Housing: An Australian Integrative Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. doi:10.3390/ijerph19031854.
     
  17. Oswald, D., Moore, T., & Baker, E. 2022. Exploring the well-being of renters during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Housing     
          Policy. doi:10.1080/19491247.2022.2037177.
     
  18. Poruschi, L. and Gardner, J., 2022. Energy Disadvantage and Housing: Considerations Towards Establishing a Long Run Integrated Analysis Framework. Australian Economic Review. doi:10.1111/1467-8462.12494.
     
  19. Singh, A. Mizdrak, Daniel, L., Blakely, T., Baker, E., Fleitas Alfonzo, L., & Bentley, R. 2022. Estimating Cardiovascular health gains from eradicating indoor cold in Australia. Environmental Health. doi:10.1186/s12940-022-00865-9.
     
  20. Gower, A. 2022. Energy Justice in Apartment Buildings and the Spatial Scale of Energy Sustainable Design Regulations in Australia and the UK. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities. doi:10.3389/frsc.2021.644418
     
  21. Valente, C.P., Morris, A., & Wilkinson, S. J. 2022. Energy poverty, housing and health: the lived experience of older low-income Australians. Building Research & Information. doi:10.1080/09613218.2021.1968293.
     
  22. Viljoen, C., Lowies, B., Lushington, K., & McGreal, S. 2020. Female perspectives on housing quality and household characteristics, perceptions and challenges: Evidence from Australia’. Habitat International. doi:10.1016/j.habitatint.2020.102276.
     
  23. Daniel, L., Baker, E., & Williamson, T. 2019. Cold housing in mild-climate countries: A study of indoor environmental quality and comfort preferences in homes, Adelaide, Australia. Building and Environment. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.01.037.
     
  24. Daniel, L. Baker, E., Beer, A., Thien Anh Pham. N. 2019. Cold housing: evidence, risk and vulnerability’. Housing Studies. doi:10.1080/02673037.2019.1686130.
  1. Hohmann, J. The Right to Housing in Australia. 2025. Human Rights Law Centre. https://www.hrlc.org.au/reports-news-commentary/the-right-to-housing-in-australia
     
  2. Cavanough, E. & Douglass, M. 2025. Rewarding renters: how the Commonwealth can make renting easier and fairer for all Australians. The McKell Institute. https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2025-01/apo-nid329500.pdf
     
  3. Baker, E., Beer, A., Leishman, C., Vij, A., Stone, W., Morey, C., Veeroja, P., Indraratna, K., Dunn, J., & Pomeroy, S. 2024. Planning for a two-tenure future. AHURI Final Report No. 431. doi:10.18408/ahuri3130901
     
  4. Thomson-Settle, J. W. 2024. Supply, Demand and Affordability: How Does New Suburb Supply Affect Property Prices? (Research Paper – Master of Arts, International Institute of Social Studies).
     
  5. Daniel, L., Lang, M., Barlow, C., Phibbs, P., Baker, E., & Hamilton, I. 2024. A national roadmap for improving the building quality of Australian housing stock. AHURI Final Report No. 426. doi:10.18408/ahuri3232301
     
  6. Crowe, A. & Rowley, S. 2024. Measuring housing affordability: Scoping the real cost of housing. AHURI Final Report No. 427. doi:10.18408/ahuri8128801
     
  7. Roche, D. et al. 2023. Domestic Hot Water and Flexibility. Report prepared for ARENA by UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures. https://utsd8.prod.acquia-sites.com/sites/default/files/2023-06/Domestic%20Hot%20Water%20and%20Flexibility.pdf
     
  8. Liu, E. et al. 2023. Poverty and Australian housing: findings from an Investigative Panel. AHURI Final Report No. 410. doi:10.18408/ahuri7130501
     
  9. Martin, C. et al. 2023. Towards an Australian Housing and Homelessness Strategy: Understanding National Approaches in Contemporary Policy. AHURI Final Report No. 401. doi:10.18408/ahuri7127901    
     
  10. Kuiri, L. & Leardini, P. 2023. Adaptable and scalable housing for Australian households and stages of life. 55th International Conference of the Architectural Science Association. Perth, WA. https://archscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/12-Adaptable-and-scalable-housing-for-Australian-households-and-stages-of-life.pdf
     
  11. Baker, E. and Morey, C. (Eds.) 2023. Our Housing Australia. The Australian Centre for Housing Research. University of Adelaide. doi:10.25909/24657108.  
     
  12. Brierty, R., Buckland, A., Crowe, A., Duncan, A., & Rowley, S. 2023. Housing Affordability in Western Australia 2023: Building for the future. Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre. https://bcec.edu.au/publications/housing-affordability-in-western-australia-2023-building-for-the-future/. 
     
  13. Pexa and Longview. 2023. Private Renting in Australia – A Broken System, Pexa and Longview White paper. Whitepaper-2-Private-renting-in-Australia-a-broken-
        system_compressed-sm-1679450145.pdf (pexa.com.au)
     
  14. Roche, D., Dwyer, S., Rispler, J., Chatterjee, A., Fane, S. & White, S. 2023. Domestic Hot Water and Flexibility. Report prepared for ARENA by UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures. Domestic Hot Water and Flexibility | University of Technology Sydney (uts.edu.au)
     
  15. Moore, T. et al. 2023. Optimising housing assessment to drive low carbon energy efficient housing upgrades. RMIT University for Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. https://www.homescorecard.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0035/688661/Optimising-housing-assessment-to-drive-low-carbon-housing-upgrade-2023_final.pdf
     
  16. Valente, C.P. 2022. Energy poverty and older Australians: The extent, causes and impacts (Doctoral dissertation, University of Technology Sydney).
     
  17. Dreesen. S. & Heylen, K. 2021. De impact van de COVID-19 crisis op de woonsituatie van Vlamingen, Een analyse van de Grote Coronastudie. Leuven: Steunpunt Wonen. https://archief.steunpuntwonen.be/Documenten_2016-2020/Studiedagen/Webinar_Wonen_na_corona_25_februari_2021/paper-dreesen-heylen-de-impact-van-    de-covid-19.pdf.  
     
  18. Baker, E. & Daniel, L. (Eds.) 2020. Rental Insights: A COVID-19 Collection, The Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Limited, Melbourne. 10.18408/ahuri3125402.  
     
  19. Baker, E, Bentley, R, Beer, A and Daniel, L. 2020. Renting in the time of COVID-19: understanding the impacts. AHURI Final Report No. 340. doi:10.18408/ahuri3125401
     
  20. Daniel, L, Moore, T, Baker, E, Beer, A, Willand, N, Horne, R and Hamilton, C. 2020. Warm, cool and energy-affordable housing policy solutions for low-income renters. AHURI Final Report No. 338. doi:10.18408/ahuri-3122801
     
  21. Dignam, J. 2020. Home-Baked: Housing, Heat and Health. Better Renting. Funded by Energy Consumers Australia Limited and the ACT Government. Report: "Home-    Baked: Housing, Heat, and Health" - Better Renting. 
     
  22. Dyrenfurth, N. 2020. ‘Rental Nation: A Plan for Secure Housing in Australia. John Curtin Research Centre Policy Report no. 5. https://national.sda.com.au/wp-
        content/uploads/2020/09/Rental-Nation-A-Plan-for-Secure-Housing-in-Australia.pdf    .
     
  23. Liu, E., Martin, C., & Easthope, H. 2019. Poor-quality housing and low-income households. Shelter Brief No. 63. City Futures Research Centre.
        https://shelternsw.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Poor-quality-Housing-and-Low-Income-Households-Review-of-Evidence-and-Options-for-Reform-2019.pdf.
     
  24. Hunter, S. 2019. Media-engaged home renovation and the transition to zero carbon homes: Understanding change in everyday practices at home. (Doctoral Dissertation, RMIT University).