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The Australian Government released its 2020 Budget on October 6. In particular, the Budget is focussed on the impacts of the COVID–19 pandemic and the economic contraction that has caused for the community.

While crisis accommodation and other emergency responses are generally effective in helping women and children escape domestic and family violence in the short term, finding safe and affordable long term housing is much more difficult, new ���������research has highlighted.

It is estimated that up to 40 per cent of Australian households who rent their housing may be experiencing energy hardship, due to a meeting of rapidly rising energy costs, a large stock of poor-quality and energy-inefficient dwellings in the rental sector, uneven access to efficient technologies and government interventions, and a large number of households in financial hardship.

For governments and communities, ‘smart’ strategies in relation to cities and urban policy have appeal in that they offer technological solutions to urban problems such as waste management, community engagement and environmental sustainability.

The impact of COVID-19 economic shutdown has raised the prospect of a large number of Australian households being unable to continue to pay their mortgages in the near future.