Abstract: This paper reports research by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute: University of New South Wales & University of Western Sydney Research Centre that examines polices to address social disadvantage at the regional level. The research investigates the regional disadvantage policies of key international bodies and considers their relevance to the Australian context. This project builds upon previous research by Brendan Gleeson which has explored European Union (EU) spatial and environmental policy regimes and their relevance to the Australian policy context (Gleeson 1998). This study aims to: 1. examine the relative merits of spatially targeted versus universalist regional support frameworks, through reference to the recent policy experience of key overseas bodies, including the EU, the ADB, the World Bank, and the OECD; 2. evaluate the policies of key overseas bodies that encourage city-hinterland partnerships and consider their relevance to the Australian policy context; 3. review the housing policy components of overseas regional assistance programs; and 4. outline ways in which the overseas policy experience might inform the development of new approaches to regional assistance in Australia, with an emphasis on the potential for housing-regional policy integration.