AMVA Application Brief - Workers Need Affordable Homes

The AMVA (Action Monitoring Values Analysis) framework is part of a broader body of work exploring how systems succeed or fail based on alignment between intent, experience, and outcomes.

Refer to artshunter.com.au/amva-action-monitoring-values-analysis

Workers need affordable homes issue is one application of the framework, demonstrating how policy settings can create a misalignment between what a system is designed to do (Care), how it is experienced (Trust), and what it ultimately delivers (Work).

This framework is intended to support clearer thinking, better system design, and more effective decision-making by making visible the often-hidden gaps between intention and realityOffer a perspective that may help strengthen the argument further, particularly when engaging with government and decision-makers.

The framework called AMVA (Action Monitoring Values Analysis), which looks at how systems perform in practice through three linked elements:

• Care (Intent) — what the system is designed to achieve
• Trust (Experience) — whether people experience the system as fair and reliable
• Work (Outcome) — the real-world results the system produces

When I look at the current housing situation through this lens, it highlights a structural issue that may help sharpen the narrative:

• The intent (Care) of the housing system should be to provide stable, accessible living conditions that support participation in work and society.
• The experience (Trust) for many working people is now the opposite — even with consistent employment, secure housing is increasingly out of reach.
• The outcomes (Work) are visible in longer commutes, workforce instability, reduced productivity, and increasing pressure on households.

In AMVA terms, this points to a misalignment between system intent and outcomes, resulting in a loss of trust.

Framing the issue this way can be useful when advocating for change, because it moves the discussion beyond affordability alone and positions housing as critical economic and workforce infrastructure.

The two key policy asks in the petition — tax reform and investment in public and affordable housing — fit well as mechanisms to restore alignment:

• Rebalancing incentives (negative gearing / CGT) helps realign system intent
• Increasing supply of public and affordable housing improves system outcomes and rebuilds trust

Framed this way, housing is not just a social issue — it is critical economic infrastructure that underpins workforce participation and productivity.

Bottom line

AMVA is a portable way of thinking that can be reused across issues.

Housing today.
Energy tomorrow.
EWM the next day.

That’s the real value of AMVA.