This paper makes use of the 2006 and two previous Censuses in order to present a snapshot of the evolution of Australian housing and highlight the changes in the way Australians consume housing. In particular, this essay pays attention to the ways in which housing reflects broader societal change while at the same time moulding the future of our nation. There is a focus on the degree of fit between the housing stock and the changing Australian households, including developments in family formation, the number of persons living in each home, the ageing of the population and the different outcomes confronting men and women in the housing market. Along the way the essay also considers issues of housing affordability and the processes through which the current housing affordability ‘crisis’ is shaping both the ways in which we live as a nation and the type of society we are becoming. This is the third in a series of essays based on data from the 2006 Census, produced in cooperation with the Australian Bureau of Statistic
