Australian Centre for Housing Research
The Australian Centre for Housing Research (ACHR) brings together researchers, evidence and partnerships to address housing - one of Australia’s defining social, economic and public policy challenges. We produce rigorous, independent research and work with partners to strengthen policy, practice and public understanding.
Current scholarship opportunities
We have 7 new funded PhD scholarship opportunities available through the Australian Centre for Housing Research at Adelaide University. These projects address some of the most urgent challenges facing housing, communities, and infrastructure.
Applications close 30 September 2026.
About us
Housing shapes health, security, opportunity, productivity and the strength of communities. It sits at the centre of major questions about inequality, sustainability, ageing, infrastructure and the future of our cities and regions. Addressing these questions requires expertise that crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries.
Since its establishment in 2021, ACHR has developed nationally significant housing datasets, methods and research infrastructure; secured major competitive research funding; built enduring partnerships with governments, industry and communities; and contributed evidence to policy, practice and public debate. Together, these capabilities make ACHR a national housing evidence platform and enable ambitious research that no single researcher or discipline could undertake alone.
Based at Adelaide University, ACHR provides an intellectual home for housing researchers and a trusted point of connection to the University’s housing expertise. We invest in postgraduate, early- and mid-career researchers, creating opportunities for collaboration, mentoring and research leadership across career stages.
Recent projects
Our research projects span diverse areas across housing, urban and spatial research. From creating accessible data infrastructures of housing conditions, to generating evidence on the links between housing and health, our staff are on the cutting edge of field-leading research delivering real-world impacts. Read about some of our recent publications below:
Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia
The Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA+) is the leading Australian indicator of remoteness and has become the standard for classifying the accessibility and remoteness of locations across the country. ARIA+ is available to purchase through the ACHR by state/territory, or for the whole of Australia.
The Great Australian Dream
As we navigate the 21st century as a post-homeownership nation, this research will use international, quantitative, and qualitative analyses to deliver new insights and produce a roadmap that will support Australia in providing current and future generations with good housing outcomes – with or without home ownership.
Read the article in Housing Studies
Read the article in The Conversation
Cold in Australian Homes
Living in a cold home can increase risk of high blood pressure, breathing difficulties, and mental health issues, especially for occupants who are aged or already affected by medical conditions. Measuring winter indoor temperatures in 505 homes, this project challenges our understanding of the prevalence of cold housing in Australia context and has important implications for housing policy.
Australian Children's Housing Dataset
A growing evidence base links housing with health and well-being outcomes, but existing work is dominated by evidence on adults. This survey collected evidence on the housing situations and experiences of school-aged children in South Australia, adding to the evidence base and contributing to better outcomes for children, families, and policy makers.
AHURI Data Project: Understanding Children's Housing
Housing impacts our lives in a multitude of ways, including our health, social and family lives, education, employment, and financial wellbeing. Currently, we don't have a lot of information about the nature of children's housing in Australia, or the role it plays in their health. Working with the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, this unsolicited data project seeks to address this gap by investigating existing evidence and data, and by developing a framework for comprehensive data collection and study of children and their homes.
DHUD SA Housing Preference Investigation
Greater Adelaide’s housing market is experiencing significant pressures, driven by a combination of rising prices, demographic shifts, and evolving household needs. The task of planning for South Australia’s future housing system is made more difficult by how little is currently known about the rapidly evolving preferences of present and future residents. This project investigates the factors Adelaide residents value when making housing decisions, how these preferences vary across demographic groups, and what trade-offs people are willing to make when confronted with affordability constraints. This research is being undertaken for the SA Department for Housing and Urban Development.
In Search of the Minskyian Household
This project uses the idea of the Minskyian household to reframe class analysis around how households, rather than individuals, experience and reproduce financial instability in asset-driven economies. By moving the Minskyian household from metaphor to measurable category, this project re-centres class analysis on household balance sheets, provides a transparent and replicable set of indicators, and delivers comparative evidence for the UK and Australia. This research is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
NIAA Indigenous Data Housing Review
By assessing national and jurisdictional datasets on Indigenous households, housing providers and the workforce, the project evaluates data quality, coverage and cultural relevance. The review provides clear recommendations to improve data collection, access and linkage, ensuring future datasets capture housing conditions, experiences, aspirations and outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This project was supported by funding from the NIAA under the Indigenous Advancement Strategy.
The Environmental Distress Index (TEDI)
TEDI has been developed by the University of Adelaide for the Victorian Environment Protection Authority (EPA). It will be used to measure the impact that environmental events and pollution have on communities. The TEDI survey will help the EPA understand how to better protect community wellbeing.
Australian Housing Conditions Dataset
Housing quality and conditions are highly variable, with issues such as cold, mould, and damp contributing to poor health outcomes for many Australians. The 2024 Survey collected data from another 20,049 households across all states and territories, making it the biggest national survey collecting information about the quality and conditions of Australian homes.
The UK Housing Review is a key resource for researchers and policymakers across the public and private housing sectors in the UK. Published annually, the review is free to download.
