Crawford School of Public Policy

Joel Dignam from Better Renting and Farzana Choudhury from Canberra Community Law join us to discuss housing accessibility and justice on this episode of Policy Forum Pod. 

How do poor housing conditions affect people’s health and wellbeing, particularly in the context of a cost-of-living crisis? How can policymakers ensure all Australians have access to safe, affordable, and healthy homes? And what role could anti-discrimination laws play in protecting people who might be experiencing homelessness or poverty? On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, solicitor at Canberra Community Law, Farzana Choudhury, and Executive Director of Better Renting, Joel Dignam, join Professor Sharon Bessell and Dr Arnagretta Hunter to discuss how to improve housing accessibility. Listen here: <http://bit.ly/3ULuo0P>

Farzana Choudhury is a community lawyer and human rights advocate, specialising in poverty, homelessness and disability rights. She is Supervising Solicitor (Disability Law) at Canberra Community Law and President of the ACT Law Society.

Joel Dignam is the Executive Director of Better Renting, a community of renters working together for stable, affordable, and healthy homes. He has a background in organising and campaigning across non-profits, unions, and electoral politics.

Sharon Bessell is Professor of Public Policy and Director of both the Children’s Policy Centre and the Poverty and Inequality Research Centre at ANU Crawford School of Public Policy.

Arnagretta Hunter is the Human Futures Fellow at ANU College of Health and Medicine, a cardiologist, physician, and Senior Clinical Lecturer at ANU Medical School.

Show notes | The following were mentioned during this episode:

‘Private rental market ‘the epicentre’ of Australia’s housing affordability problem, report finds’ by Stephanie Convery, Guardian Australia (2022)

2022: Rental Affordability Snapshot, Anglicare Australia (2022)

Homelessness & Poverty Discrimination Law in Practice by Farzana Choudhury, Winston Churchill Memorial Trust of Australia (2022)

Disrupted: The consumer experience of renting in Australia, Choice, National Shelter and the National Association of Tenant Organisations (2018)

Urban Planning for Climate Change by Barbara Norman (2022)

This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University.

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