Stacey Miers and Thomas Chailloux attended the 2025 Australasian Housing Researchers conference on 19-21 February. This was an opportunity for us to hear about the latest housing research in Australia and New Zealand; providing updated data, new insights on the implementation and evaluation of diverse housing and homelessness projects, and fresh perspectives on a wide range of subjects including large scale social housing estate renewal, interventions at the nexus of health and housing policy, climate action, delivery of affordable housing through the planning system, and more! 

When working in housing policy day-to-day like the Shelter NSW team does, it is sometimes beneficial to take a few steps back for a day or two, reflect on interstate and overseas experiences and think more deeply about the broader ideologies and structures underpinning housing and homelessness systems.  

Prof. Nicole Gurran at the 2025 AHRC public lecture, ‘Planning reform for affordable housing supply? International evidence and Australian policy debates’.

We also made the best of the conference to connect with academics with an interest in housing justice and better housing outcomes for households living on lower incomes. Stacey and Thomas came back from the conference with a renewed understanding of the fact that NSW can do a lot more – and a lot better – to work towards a housing system that delivers a secure home for all.