Administering Australian housing policy: practitioner perspectives

This research aims to deepen our understanding of the design and impact of the ‘machinery of government’ – the administrative, bureaucratic or institutional arrangements that deliver public policy – with respect to housing policy in Australia.Drawing on the insights of current and former senior housing policy officials, the study identifies a set of principles to guide the best feasible governance and policy outcomes.Machinery of government changes occur regularly in Australia’s public sector at the federal and state/territory levels. However, there has been little focus on the impact of such changes for the delivery of housing policy, or which arrangements are most suitable for effective delivery.Changes to the machinery of government may lead to a loss of institutional knowledge and key expertise, and impede efficiency, effectiveness and innovation.Identifying and settling on a feasible and effective governance and administrative structure will allow agencies – and the people working within them – the longevity and stability to deliver better policy outcomes.