Professor Jessie Hohmann recently released a report, The Right to Housing in Australia, commissioned by the Human Rights Law Centre that discusses the need for a right to housing as a human right in Australian law.
The report explains the right to housing, Australia’s existing human rights framework, provides a case study to illustrate what housing looks like without a human right to housing, why we need a right to housing at all levels of government and how to make the right to housing a reality in Australia.
In the executive summary, Jessie writes:
Adequate housing shields us from the elements and from external threats and pressures. It gives us a base from which we can take part in the life of the community, and from where we can build a livelihood, take part in education, and contribute to society. Housing also provides a space where the private aspects of our lives are fostered and supported. The way people are housed reflects a social and political agreement about what standards of living, levels of inequality and social exclusion we tolerate or condone. Thus, housing provides not just material shelter, but helps set physical boundaries of belonging and community.
Th report can be accessed here: The Right to Housing in Australia 2025
