Housing News Digest
Housing News Digest
The Tenants' Union Housing News Digest compiles our pick of items from all the latest tenancy and housing media, sent once per week, on Thursdays.
Below is the Digest archive from November 2020 onwards. From time to time you will find additional items in the archive that did not make it into the weekly Digest email. Earlier archives are here, where you can also find additional digests by other organisations.
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Archive
‘It’s hard coming home to a tent’: the rise of Australia’s working homeless
Jordyn Beazley The Guardian (No paywall)At 5am most mornings, Cheryl Rowe’s alarm wakes her up in the camping trailer where she has been living for three months. It signals time for the 63-year-old to start her work day as a cleaner.
Torch in hand, she gets ready and packs the car at the caravan park in Western Australia’s Margaret River region. She has been asked to be quiet so as not to wake the tourists. Then she spends the rest of her day cleaning, part of it scrubbing holiday homes that sometimes sit empty.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/dec/17/its-hard-…
# Hot topic Australia, Homelessness, Housing affordability, Personal stories, Work, employment.Mirvac boss to lead housing affordability council
Tom McIlroy Australian Financial Review (Paywall)Outgoing Mirvac boss Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz will lead the Albanese government’s new council on housing supply and affordability.
Housing Minister Julie Collins named the property sector leader to the role on Tuesday, part of the government’s plans for its investment agenda to be guided by the best expert advice.
Read the original media release here: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/julie-collins-2022/media-releases/interim-national-housing-supply-and-affordability
https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/mirvac-boss-to-lead-housing…
# Australia, Federal Government, Housing market, Landlords and agents, Planning and development.Forced home sales set to rise as borrowers struggle with surging interest rates and mortgage repayments
Rhiana Witson ABC (No paywall)As COVID hit and the Reserve Bank cut interest rates to record lows to stimulate the economy, Aaron Doull and his wife Saori took out an $850,000 loan to buy their first home.
Most of their mortgage was fixed at a 2.2 per cent interest rate.
But next year, when the couple come off that fixed loan, they'll face variable interest rates of around 6 per cent. That's well above the 2.5 per cent serviceability buffer that their loan was based on.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-17/housing-apra-rba-forced-s…
# Australia, Housing market.‘Veteran tenants’: Sad Aussie rental truth as renters trapped
Jack Evans news.com.au (No paywall)An extensive study of Australian renters has revealed some alarming figures which suggest tenants are reaching financial breaking point.
The survey of 9000 renters found almost half had their rents increased in the last six months.
Thirty per cent said they had been pushed into shared living arrangements by rent prices and cost of living pressures in that time, while another 21 per cent said they were priced out of their own homes entirely by the added costs.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/renting/veteran-tena…
# Australia, Rent.Rising rent prices: Extreme measures and where to get support
Luana Matrone and Amy Bradney-George Finder (No paywall)Interest rate rises, a lack of housing and growing demand have seen rent costs rise across Australia. Here's how it's affecting people.
In 2022, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) increased the cash rate over 8 consecutive months, bringing it to 3.10%.
Residents of 73 remote communities launch class action against NT government alleging poor conditions, racism
Samantha Jonscher ABC (No paywall)Indigenous residents of all 73 remote communities in the Northern Territory have launched a class action lawsuit against the Department of Territory Families, Housing and Communities over the "uninhabitable" condition of remote housing, accusing it of racial discrimination.
Residents are seeking compensation for rent paid and demanding they be awarded damages for the condition of their homes.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-19/residents-of-all-73-remot…
# Legal significance International, Public and community housing, Repairs, Health.This Christmas you could be living in your car! Just imagine
First Dog on the Moon The Guardian (No paywall)First Dog on the Moon is working with the Antipoverty Centre to raise money for the three women in this cartoon. https://www.gofundme.com/f/christmas-in-a-car
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/dec/19/this-chris…
# Must read Australia, Homelessness, Older people, Welfare, Women.Cunnamulla council becomes its own real estate service to tackle housing crisis
Dan Prosser and Melanie Groves ABC (No paywall)An outback Queensland council is playing the role of matchmaker in Cunnamulla, but it's not bachelors and spinsters they are trying to unite in the small town.
Faced with a shortage of housing stock and dozens of empty homes falling into disrepair, Paroo Shire Council took action 18 months ago — and it's paying off.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-10/cunnamulla-council-turns-…
# Australia, Housing market, Local Government, Strong communities.