Addressing the public health challenge of mould in homes

Mould affects one third of homes in Australia, compromising building integrity and public health.

Starting in June 2026, this project aims to improve public health, focusing on people living with respiratory conditions or compromised immune systems, by reducing mould exposure in homes.

We've brought together a team of world-class experts in public health, epidemiology, clinical medicine, architectural science, biostatistics, environmental health, and behavioural psychology. This includes familiar faces from the Healthy Housing CRE as well as new partnerships with Melbourne Centre for Behavioural Psychology, Dr Abby Douglas, Melbourne School of Design, and A/Prof Arianna Brambilla at the University of Sydney.

Together, we'll complete an ambitious four-stage research program, including:

• Conducting a nation-wide survey to provide insights, for the first time, into mould prevalence and its impact across Australia's diverse climate zones
• Using cutting-edge behavioural change models to create interventions that work for the communities that need them
• Completing a trial to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions
• Developing population models to evaluate intervention effectiveness in Australia’s housing policy environment.

The Synergy scheme supports multidisciplinary research teams to come together to tackle our biggest health problems. Successful teams are awarded $5M over a five year period.