‘The South Australian Government’s new policy making it easier to evict public housing tenants is a dangerous and short sighted response to community concerns about so called anti-social behaviour,’ said Tabitha Lean. ‘At a time when we are in the grip of a housing crisis, the government should be strengthening supports for tenants, not accelerating their pathway to homelessness,’ said Tabitha Lean.

The policy, announced by Minister for Housing and Urban Development Nick Champion, removes verbal warnings and instead fast-tracks tenants towards eviction through a rigid three-strike system. Under this punitive approach, tenants with three substantiated complaints could face eviction via the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT), with a 12-month ban on reapplying for Housing Trust accommodation.

‘This is not good social policy. We know that homelessness leads to criminalisation,’ said Debbie Kilroy. ‘Instead of addressing challenges within tenancies through targeted support, this policy simply pushes people out of public housing and onto the streets. Those evicted will be left to rely on an overstretched homelessness system, emergency accommodation, or worse forced into unsafe and unstable living conditions,’ said Debbie Kilroy.

‘The government has justified this approach by citing 4,000 complaints of anti-social behaviour within public housing in the last six months,’ said Tabitha Lean. ‘However, without proper context or transparency about the nature of these complaints, this data does not justify a policy that will cause irreparable harm to vulnerable tenants, many of whom are already struggling with mental health issues, disability, and economic hardship,’ said Tabitha Lean.

‘Public housing exists to provide secure accommodation for people who would otherwise struggle in the private rental market. Instead of punitive evictions, the government should be investing in solutions that help tenants maintain their housing,’ said Debbie Kilroy. ‘This includes increasing wraparound supports such as mental health services, tenancy assistance, and crisis intervention programs,’ said Debbie Kilroy.

‘The real issue is the chronic lack of public housing stock. South Australia, like the rest of the country, is facing a worsening affordability crisis,’ said Tabitha Lean. ‘Rather than scapegoating public housing tenants, the government should commit to building significantly more public housing and ensuring that tenants have the resources they need to succeed in their homes,’ said Tabitha Lean.

‘This policy will not make communities safer—it will simply create more homelessness, which in turn increases interactions with the criminal legal system,’ said Tabitha Lean.

‘The National Network calls on the government to immediately reverse this harmful approach and instead invest in public housing solutions that prioritise stability and support over punishment,’ said Debbie Kilroy.

For further comment, please contact Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474 or Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226