Amid the biggest housing crisis in Australia’s history, public housing is being destroyed by sell offs and outsourcing. This is leading to the shameful neglect of some of the most vulnerable. Some public housing tenants now say they are more isolated.

When the Commonwealth Housing Commission was first established to address Australia’s post-war housing shortage in 1943, housing was considered a basic right. Its landmark 1944 report laid out a federal and state plan for public housing. “A dwelling of good standard and equipment is not only the need, but the right of every citizen ... no tenant or purchaser should be exploited for excessive profits,” it said.

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The report also highlighted that “private enterprise … has not adequately and hygienically been housing the low-income group”, a reflection of the socio-economic damage inflicted by greedy landlords and governments’ lack of support for the poor.

The first Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement (CSHA) was purpose-built to address both concerns. Signed in 1945 by Ben Chifley’s Labor government, the agreement provided the framework and federal and state funding for the building and managing of public housing. Chiefly also nationalised essential services including the banks.

Over the next 10 years state housing authorities built almost 100,000 dwellings for public rental — one in every seven dwellings built. The New South Wales Housing Commission built almost 38,000 of those, 18% of all NSW housing built. Returned soldiers, large families and formerly disadvantaged people became tenants.

Coupled with a strong labour market (unemployment over 1955-1956 was

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