Journal article

‘Shelter is a Dignity’: Rental Racism, Stress and Housing (In)justice

Erika Martino, Ilan Wiesel, Ang Li, Rebecca Bentley

Australian Journal of Social Issues | Wiley | Published : 2026

Open access

Abstract

ABSTRACT Australia's private rental sector is in crisis, and culturally and racially minoritised renters face compounded harms through both covert and everyday direct forms of rental racism. Drawing on five community‐based focus groups in Melbourne ( n  = 37), the paper explores how racism manifests across the rental pathway and how it structures the relationship between housing security and stress from a sociolegal perspective that examines access, occupancy and exit. Findings show rental racism operating as (1) access injustice through gatekeeping, and everyday racism; (2) occupancy injustice through selective e..

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University of Melbourne Researchers