Tonight, ABC‘s Four Corners examines whether Australia’s affordable housing model is delivering on its promises in Unaffordable, an investigation that scrutinises a system backed by governments across the country and asks whether renters are receiving the affordable homes they were led to expect.
The investigation focuses on a housing model that combines private developers, public funding and major investors to deliver rental properties promoted as affordable.
Reporter Pat McGrath examines how the approach operates in practice and speaks with renters who say the reality of affordable housing has fallen short of the promises made to them.
The program also features exclusive analysis conducted by Four Corners over an eight-week period, examining affordable housing rental listings across New South Wales and Victoria.
According to the program, the findings raise questions about how affordability is defined and whether the current model is providing homes at rental prices people can realistically afford.
The investigation also explores what developers and investors receive through the scheme, including planning concessions, public loans and other incentives, while asking what governments and renters receive in return.
With housing affordability continuing to rank among Australia’s most pressing public policy issues, the program examines the difference between housing policy and the cost of weekly rent for many Australians.
