A Genealogy of the Problematic of Homelessness and the Homeless in Australia

A Genealogy of the Problematic of Homelessness and the Homeless in Australia PhD Dissertation Emily Schindeler B.A. University of Queensland School of Justice, Faculty of Law Queensland University of Technology January 2010 Key Words: Homeless, Homelessness, Homeless persons, Housing, Vagrancy, Poverty, Disadvantaged groups, Governance, Government policy, Public policy, Social policy, Housing policy, Human rights, Politics, Politics of law, Australia, Genealogy, Privacy Legislation, Tenancy Databases. Abstract The homeless have been subject to considerable scrutiny, historically and within current social, political and public discourse. The aetiology of homelessness has been the focus of a large body of economic, sociological, historical and political investigation. Importantly, efforts to conceptualise, explain and measure, the phenomenon of homelessness and homeless people has occurred largely within the context of defining “the problem of the homeless” and the generation of solutions to the ‘problem’. There has been little consideration of how and why homelessness has come to be seen, or understood, as a problem, or how this can change across time and/or place. This alternative stream of research has focused on tracing and analysing the relationship between how people experiencing homeless have become a matter of government concern and the manner in which homelessness itself has been problematised. With this in mind this study has analysed the discourses - political, social and economic rationalities and knowledges - which have provided the conditions of possibility for the identification of the homeless and homelessness as a problem needing to be governed and the means for translating these discourses into the applied domain. The aim of this thesis has been to contribute to current knowledge by developing a genealogy of the conditions and rationalities that have underpinned the problematisation of homelessness and the homeless. The outcome of this analysis has been to open up the opportunity to consider alternative governmental possibilities arising from the exposure of the way in which contemporary problematisation and responses have been influenced by the past. An understanding of this process creates an ability to appreciate the intended and unintended consequences for the future direction of public policy and contemporary research. A Genealogy of the Problematic of Homelessness and the Homeless in Australia 2 Statement of Original Authorship The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted to meet requirements for an award at this or any other higher education institution. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made . Emily Schindeler January 2010 Acknowledgements I would like to express my since appreciation to my supervisor, Dr Sharon Hayes, whose encouragement and support was instrumental to the completion of this thesis. Importantly, I would also like to acknowledge the contribution of Dr Melissa Bull whose belief in the value of this work and whose advice provided me with the confidence and the resolve to tackle it. A thank you to Professor Kerry Carrington, for your willingness to step in when needed and to make time available in a very busy schedule to help me reach this final completion. These acknowledgements would not be complete without an expression of appreciation to my daughter for her unwavering willingness to listen, to my son for his ability to ensure I remain focused on the light at the end, and to my husband for graciously accepting the innumerable nights that were spent in the library. A Genealogy of the Problematic of Homelessness and the Homeless in Australia 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 8 Objective of this Thesis 8 Context for this Thesis 9 Genealogy of the Problematic of Homelessness and the Homeless 10 Conceptual Framework 13 Recurring Themes from a Literature Review 14 Defining and Counting the Homeless 14 Positing Causation as a Focus for Discourse 16 Economic Rationalities 17 Homelessness – Criminalising the Homeless and the Loss of Rights 19 The Problem of Housing and a Question of Welfare 21 Structure of Thesis 22 CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 24 Introduction 24 Governmentality, Power and Authority 24 Populations and Subjects 27 Rationalities: From Pastoral Power to Neo-liberal Rationalities 31 Application of Governmentality Framework to Homelessness 39 CHAPTER 3: CREATING A GOVERNABLE POPULATION 40 Introduction 40 Tools for Making Governable Populations 44 Inheriting the Discourse of the Problematic of the Homeless 47 Early Vagrancy Laws in Australia 51 Introduction of Income Support – The Deserving and Undeserving 52 Discovering Australia’s Homeless 57 Defining Australia’s Homeless 60 Counting the Homeless or Measuring Homelessness 63 Images of the Homeless – Making of the Other 67 A Genealogy of the Problematic of Homelessness and the Homeless in Australia 4 Homeless as Research Subjects 70 CHAPTER 4 – POSITING CAUSATION FOR HOMELESSNESS – INTENDED AND UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES 72 Introduction 72 Governmentality and the Role of Knowledge 73 Evidence Based Policy and Positing Causation 76 Language and Governmentality 79 A Period of Economic and Social Change 82 The Beginning of a New Decade 92 Competing Discourses 103 Twenty First Century Views 110 The Missing Pieces of Evidence Based Discourse 116 CHAPTER 5 HUMAN RIGHTS AND HOMELESSNESS 117 Introduction 117 Genealogy of Human Rights Discourse 121 Political Rationalities and the Australian Legal Framework on Human Rights 129 International Conventions and the Rights of the Homeless 136 Obligations as a Signatory 139 Failure to Address Homelessness: Rights, Rhetoric and Values 141 Housing Programs 143 Rent Assistance – A Strategy that does not deliver 146 National Homelessness Strategy - A Discourse of Other 147 Political Rationalities, Poverty, Social Policy and Rights 149 Governmentality and Human Rights 156 CHAPTER 6: FEDERAL LAW AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO HOMELESSNESS 157 Introduction 157 Matters of Relevance 157 A Genealogy of the Problematic of Homelessness and the Homeless in Australia 5 Citizenship, Representative Democracy and the Homeless 159 Historical Perspective on the Defining Citizens in Australia 163 Franchise 165 Origins of Privacy Legislation – Protection of Personal Information or Facilitating Commerce 173 Profiling the Australian Environment 1985 -1989 175 The Rise of Tenancy Database Industry 177 Homelessness and Second Class Citizenship 185 CHAPTER 7: THE PROBLEMATIC OF HOUSING 187 Introduction 187 Rationalities and National Housing Policy 188 The Rise of Physical Determinism and Governmental Engagement with Housing 191 Australian Housing Policy – The Post Federation Approach 192 Defining a Role of the Commonwealth in Housing 195 The Commonwealth Adopts a Welfare Housing Perspective 198 From A Problem of Supply to a Problem of Affordability: The New Discourse 199 Affordable Housing – A Re-Commitment to the Private Sector 203 Community Housing As Beneficiary of Government Policy 207 “Lackers, Slackers and Unwilling Victims” 209 Housing Discourse and Homelessness 210 Strategies, Programs, and Services – the Included and Excluded 211 A New Government – Housing Policy and the Problematic of Homelessness 217 Adoption of National Affordable Housing Agreement- Addressing Housing Supply 218 Homelessness – A Service Response 221 CHAPTER 8 – CONCLUSIONS 225 Governmentality, Alliances and Others 225 How have the homeless come to be a category of population, and homelessness a problem which needs to be governed? 227 Conditions of Possibility 229 A Genealogy of the Problematic of Homelessness and the Homeless in Australia 6 In what ways have past and contemporary knowledge, political, economic and social rationalities, discourses and authorities made possible the various technologies through which acts of governing are expressed? 233 The Framework for Governing - Understanding Rationalities 233 Knowledge and Technologies 236 An Alternative Way of Seeing 242 BIBLIOGRAPHY 244 A Genealogy of the Problematic of Homelessness and the Homeless in Australia 7 Chapter 1: Introduction Objective of this Thesis Homeless people have been variously labelled as criminals, victims, idlers or the deserving poor. They have been counted, classified, and regulated for over a millennium. The aetiology of homelessness has been the focus of a large body of economic, sociological, historical and political investigation. Importantly, efforts to conceptualise, explain or measure the phenomenon of homelessness have occurred largely within the context of dealing with the homeless and the generation of solutions to the ‘problem’. My thesis is that the homeless and homelessness are problematised as a technology for governing individuals deemed to be outside acceptable social norms. The task of this thesis is to explore the conditions and rationalities that underpin the problematisation of homelessness and the homeless. The aim of this analysis is to open up the opportunity to consider alternative possibilities arising from the exposure of the way in which contemporary problematisation and responses have emerged. An understanding of this process creates an ability to appreciate the intended and unintended consequences for the direction of public policy and contemporary research. The key questions that this work seeks to answer are: 1. How have the homeless come to be a category of population, and homelessness

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