Policy Priority: Housing affordability and housing stress
This policy priority aims to ensure that people with disability live in houses that are affordable, safe, and secure.
Its purpose is to measure the wait for social housing where a person with disability is a member of the household. There are 2 measures under this policy priority:
- Average time waited for social housing (updated)
- Lower income housing stress.
The updated measure is discussed below.
Measure: Average time waited for social housing allocation
Full name – Average time waited for newly allocated households with a member with disability in public housing or SOMIH
Social housing is a form of housing assistance in Australia. Social housing programs are rental houses that are owned or managed by the government, such as public housing or state owned and managed Indigenous housing (SOMIH), or by a community organisation (community housing, or Indigenous community housing) (AIHW 2025).
This measure examines the average time waited for newly allocated households, where at least one household member has a disability. The measure looks at both public housing and state owned and managed Indigenous housing (SOMIH). This measure has no disaggregated data. For more information, see Data Dictionary: Average time waited for social housing.
Average time waited for social housing allocation
Latest update: Public housing: 547 days, SOMIH: 811 days (2023–24)
Baseline: Public housing: 413 days, SOMIH: 389 days (2020–21)
Progress status: Regress
In 2023–24:
- for households with at least one person with disability, the average time waited for public housing increased to a peak at 637 days in 2022–23 before dropping to 547 days in 2023–24
- the average time waited for SOMIH (for households with at least one person with disability) increased from 406 days in 2022–23 to 811 days in 2023–24
- the proportion of newly allocated households with a member with disability in public housing increased slightly from 2020–21 (36%) to 2023–24 (37%)
- the proportion of newly allocated households (with a member with disability) in SOMIH stayed steady between 2020–21 (13%) and 2023–24 (13%).
Figure 3.1: Average time waited (days) for newly allocated households with a member with disability in public housing and SOMIH, 2011–12 to 2023–24
The data in the graph and the table below show the average time waited for newly allocated households with a member with disability in public housing or state owned and managed Indigenous housing (SOMIH). Data from 2011–12 to 2023–24 are used. In 2023–24, the average time waited for Public housing and SOMIH for people with disability was 547 and 811 days, respectively.
| Year | Public housing | SOMIH |
|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | 580 | 487 |
| 2012–13 | 586 | 406 |
| 2013–14 | 627 | 542 |
| 2014–15 | 682 | 379 |
| 2015–16 | 548 | 374 |
| 2016–17 | 540 | 255 |
| 2017–18 | 587 | 365 |
| 2018–19 | 500 | 341 |
| 2019–20 | 493 | 361 |
| 2020–21 | 413 | 389 |
| 2021–22 | 562 | 416 |
| 2022–23 | 637 | 406 |
| 2023–24 | 547 | 811 |
Notes:
- 'Newly allocated households' are those households that commenced receiving housing assistance for the relevant program during the reference year.
- SOMIH refers to state owned and managed Indigenous housing.
- A household is classified as 'with disability' if any member of the household reports disability. Disability is the umbrella term for any or all of: an impairment of body structure or function, a limitation in activities, or a restriction in participation. Disability may be self-enumerated or related to housing need and thus is likely to under-report the true level of disability in public housing (PH) and SOMIH households. Data across jurisdictions may not be comparable due to different definitions and collection methods of disability for the purpose of accessing social housing.
- The average time waited can be influenced by the size of the dwelling required, as well as by the amenities or modifications needed to accommodate a person’s disability.
- Excludes households where time waited was not known.
Source: AIHW National Housing Assistance Data Repository.
Source:
AIHW National Housing Assistance Data Repository (NHADR).
|
Data source overview
For figure notes, see Appendix B: Figure notes and sources.
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