AHURI calls for national strategy to improve the quality of Australian housing
A new report by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) has highlighted the need for Australia to upgrade its housing quality to meet international standards.
The study found that over 70% of Australian homes have an energy rating of three stars or lower, and a similar percentage of households report building quality issues.
AHURI stressed that without improvements, households will continue to face high energy costs, health challenges due to poorly insulated homes, and financial strain.
The report, titled “A National Roadmap for Improving the Building Quality of Australian Housing Stock,” was conducted by researchers from the University of South Australia, Monash University, the University of Adelaide, the University of Sydney, and University College London. It calls for governments to adopt best-practice housing standards to address the issues plaguing both owned and rented properties.
The research emphasised the need for a coordinated national strategy to improve the quality of housing, with lead researcher, associate professor Lyrian Daniel (pictured above) from the University of South Australia, noting that current standards lag behind international benchmarks.
“As Australia looks to build 1.2 million new homes over the five years from 2023, the low quality of our housing is currently set to perpetuate,” Daniel said.
Although energy efficiency standards for new homes were introduced in 2003, 82% of newly built homes still only meet the minimum requirements, which are below global best practices.
“The current requirement of a seven-star rating for new homes is below international best practice; a nine-star standard is required to eliminate mechanical heating and cooling in line with the requirements for low-energy homes,” Daniel said.
“We need to bring all houses up to a meaningful minimum standard to reduce heating and cooling costs and carbon emissions, while providing occupants with healthy and climate-resilient homes.”
The Australian Housing Conditions Dataset revealed that 70% of homes had at least one building defect, with cracked walls being the most common issue (44%), followed by mould (35%) and plumbing problems (27%).
The AHURI report further argued that voluntary standards are insufficient to address the widespread issues in Australia’s housing stock and called for mandatory regulations, such as the compulsory disclosure of a home’s energy efficiency rating at the point of sale or lease.
“The ACT government’s mandatory disclosure requirement means the territory has the highest level of energy efficiency improvements to existing owner-occupied dwellings,” Daniel said, suggesting that similar policies could be implemented nationwide.
Mandatory energy performance disclosures would not only provide consumers with better information but also allow for monitoring of housing standards across the country, she added.
The report concluded that a comprehensive, multi-pronged strategy is required to bring Australian housing up to international standards. This would include improved energy performance standards for new homes, mandatory energy performance disclosure for all dwellings, and minimum standards for rental properties.
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