3 - 5 November 2021
House prices and construction activity skyrocketed over the course of 2021 in Australia, building wealth for many homeowners and delivering jobs in the construction industry. But the true value of housing goes well beyond this. A home can protect you from a virus, provide space for home-schooling and work, seed a new gardening hobby, and deliver the stability necessary to survive a global pandemic. A well-designed home can support a person with a disability to live with autonomy and reduce incidences of asthma and heart disease while reducing energy costs. Access to crisis and permanent accommodation can literally save lives. This is the social value of housing.
As Victoria and other jurisdictions across the world respond to the pandemic with unprecedented investments in social and affordable housing, we are confronted with an opportunity to maximise the social value of housing. In Victoria, the Big Housing Build will deliver over 12,000 social and affordable dwellings over 5 years. It is an opportunity to build homes while also driving better health, employment, community, environment and design outcomes – all the things that make housing truly valuable.