Conceptualising and measuring the housing affordability problem: National Research Venture 3: Housing Affordability for Lower Income Australians: research paper 1

This paper provides a background to, and sets a framework for, much of the research to be undertaken for the AHURI funded collaborative research venture (CRV3) project 'Housing Affordability for Lower Income Australians'. The rationale for CRV3 is to provide an evidence base to assist government agencies in their efforts to tackle the problems experienced by low-income households seeking to access housing commensurate with their needs. Over the next two years, AHURI affiliated researchers will engage in a set of linked projects to answer one overarching research question: 'How do we assess and address housing affordability for lower income households in Australia?' In preparation for doing so, this Background Paper reviews Australian and international literature on housing affordability, identifies and discusses the key issues in conceptualising and measuring housing affordability, and suggests ways in which these might be addressed.