Thirty years of housing data shows the ACT Government has shifted public housing out of the city and towards the outskirts of town.

An ABC analysis of the data found just three inner city suburbs have more public housing than they did 30 years ago: Lyneham, Downer and Forrest.

And between them they have only 31 more homes today than they did in 1990, a drop in the ocean compared to suburbs outside of the city where public housing has grown substantially.

Across those outer suburbs there are 2,300 more homes today compared to three decades ago.

Where suburbs had less public housing than in 1990, about half of that loss has been in the inner city.

Ainslie has 161 fewer dwellings than it did 30 years ago, Braddon has lost 175, and Kingston 140.

Meanwhile Ngunnawal, Dunlop and the ACT's most southern suburbs have taken the great bulk of public housing growth.

A 'salt-and-pepper' approach or 'big clumps of pepper'?

Flats along Northbourne Avenue served as public housing in Canberra until 2018, when the strip was transformed for light rail. ( Supplied: David Flannery )

Opposition housing spokesman Mark Parton said the Government's actions were not consistent with their speech.

"I think it's abundantly clear the Government has set out to move people from public housing from their jewel in the crown — the light rail corridor," Mr Parton said.

"There is public housing that is needed in those areas, but it's very, very clear that there has been a push in that direction."

Overall, there are roughly 750 fewer dwellings today than there were in 1990 — though that does not account for whether those are standalone homes, apartments or boarding homes.

Housing Minister Yvette Berry acknowledged the Government wanted to move some of its stock out of "high-density" areas.

But she maintained the Government was continuing its so-called salt-and-pepper approach to public housing, and that moving stock provided more choice.

Ms Berry said there was still a "significant amount" built within the city, though that was challenged by Mr Parton.

"We often hear the Government spruik 'salt and pepper', and we end up with big clumps of pepper," he said.

The Government announced yesterday it would add another 200 homes to its stock in the next five years, and sell and replace 700 old homes.

"We are the only state or territory in the country that continues to grow its public housing stock," Ms Berry said.

More than a third of that is planned for new suburbs on the edges of Canberra.

Executive director of the ACT Council od Social Service (ACTCOSS) Susan Helyar said while there were benefits to having some public housing stock near the inner-city, where amenities were easily accessible, salt-and-peppering public housing across the city was the best approach.

"We know that diverse suburbs create strong neighbourhoods that work well for everybody," she said.

"There's absolutely benefits in having public housing close to high-amenity locations.

"But there's also … many people were living in public housing looking to live in more diverse places and having more diverse options for the kind of housing they live in."

She said a balancing act between the two priorities was needed.