Housing and Older People in
Australia:
Now and the Coming Decades
Presentation to Resthaven
Andrew Beer
University of Adelaide
Andrew.Beer@adelaide.edu.au

• The changing relationship between housing and the life course in Australia
• Housing and older Australians
• Where to next?

• The sequence of housing you occupy through your life course. Measured in terms of the ‘household’.
• More recently, David Clapham’s (2002; 2004; 2005) perspectives on housing pathways – a greater focus on the meaning of home.
• Conventionally
– Leave home
– Marry and enter home ownership, soon followed by arrival of first child
– Stay in the family home – maybe with one move
– Move to a retirement village or die at home

Housing Careers
The Housing Career ‘Ladder”
'Down' moves
'Up' moves
Mortgage paid
Two incomes
High wages
Savings
Subsidy
Moderate income
First job
Outright owner
Second-time buyer
First-time buyer
Public tenant
Private tenant
Living with parents
Unemployment
Divorce
Personal problems
SOUTHERN RESEARCH CENTRE

From Housing Careers to Housing
Transitions
• Idea that no longer a purposeful ‘ladder’ of housing to ascend
• Greater level of movement to more or less advantageous positions
• Great deal of lateral movement

• The Austerity Generation
– 1931-45
• The Baby Boomers
– 1946-1960
• Generation X
– 1961-1976
• Generation Y
– 1976-1991

Generation Label
The Austerity Generation
Baby Boomers
Generation X
Generation Y
Year of Birth Age
Before 1931 more than 74 years
1931-1946
1946-1960
1961-1976
55 to 74 years
40 to 54 years
25 to 39 years
1977-1991 10 to 24 years post 1991 under 10 years of age
Persons
1,710,291
2,420,329
4,004,987
4,154,821
3,902,926
2,575,895
18,769,249
Per Cent
9.1
12.9
21.3
22.1
20.8
13.7
100

What can life course perspectives on housing tell us?
• Demand for housing for older people will grow
• Many of those in older age will be different households compared with the past
– Not all outright owners
• 11% private tenants
• At significant risk in the private market, including homelessness
– Impact of divorce and repartnering
– Some with greater levels of wealth through housing
– Significant but unequal impact of superannuation

What can life course perspectives on housing tell us?
• Impact of disability
– Declining rates of mortality amongst the aged, but rising rates of morbidity
• The ‘old old’ fastest growing population group in
Australia
– Providing care for others
– Desire to remain in the family home and age in place
• Many female headed households worse off
– Gendered impact of divorce

What can life course perspectives on housing tell us?
• Changing social values:
– Willingness to consume wealth in own lifetime
– Proximity to family members a more complex issue
– More willing to move within older age
• Seachange/treechange migration often leads to churn
– May need to provide accommodation for own children/grandchildren into advanced age
• Affects the type of housing will accept

• Most remain in the family home, even though it may be inappropriate
• Retirement village industry remains small
– Current business models too confronting for many
– Costs are too high for many
– Limited non-private options
• Some older people assume access to public/social housing that will simply not eventuate

• The demographic imperatives cant be denied
– By 2050 the aged population will double to 25% of the
Australian population
– The ageing of the population will be responsible for half of new housing construction over the coming decades
– Mainstream planning will need to focus on the needs of the aged – eg TODs
– Supply of purpose built aged housing will increase, but it will not be sufficient to match demand
– Women and those on low incomes will be the most vulnerable

• Housing needs of the aged population will also bring other needs:
– Impact of social isolation
– Need for transport and other services
– Demand for financial planning
– Staffing