In Australia, as in many developed countries, provision of public housing (a form of social housing) formed a core component of housing policy for lower-income earners for much of the twentieth century post-1945. Despite its proportionately small and shrinking size in Australia (less than 5% of all dwellings), that tenure’s vital social role makes it a continuing central concern in policy debates. The chapter first reviews the evolution of public housing in Australia from 1945 to the present. It highlights the sector’s tenure’s changing roles, focusing on its progressive residualisation, increasingly financially stressed condition and recent attempts at asset renewal. Second, the chapter explains post-1980s policy moves to diversify social housing through the promotion of not-for-profit community housing providers (CHPs), including experimentation with public housing transfers to CHPs. Third, the account documents the upsurge in government investment in social and affordable housing unfolding during the 2020s.