Everyone needs a home. A home where they can feel safe, a home that’s secure, and a home they can afford. Yet more and more people are missing out on the dream of a home, including many of the essential workers that our communities rely on. They now face a housing market that has never been less affordable or more volatile as they are forced to spend record amounts to keep a roof over their heads. More and more of them are in rental stress.

These Australians are on the frontline of Australia’s housing crisis. With soaring costs and vacancy rates at record lows, many have turned to desperate measures to keep up with rents. Others are forced to live for years and even decades in share homes, or find themselves couch-surfing with friends and family because they can’t find a home. Some employers have resorted to providing housing for their workers because there is no other way they could afford to live in their own communities. They have simply been priced out, leaving Australia with major workforce shortages in some of our most critical industries.

This report offers proposals to make renting more secure and more affordable, and calls for major reform of Australia’s tax and policy settings. The report also outlines strategies to end the undersupply of social and affordable housing.