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
Barkindji woman tackles Broken Hill housing supply problem with plan to build 500 eco-friendly homes
Callum Marshall ABC (No paywall)A Barkindji woman is hoping to improve housing supply concerns in Broken Hill with a project that could result in about 500 eco-friendly homes being built in the city. Nara Nation's Narelle Osborne, who is working with the development company Cliq Build, said they were also hoping to make some of the material for the houses in Broken Hill, creating more jobs.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-29/broken-hill-eco-friendly-…
# NSW, Climate change, Housing market, Regional NSW, Work, employment.Banks are tipping the worst property price falls on record. But don’t panic
Matthew Elmas The New Daily (No paywall)Home owners are being urged not to panic about rising mortgage rates, despite predictions that Reserve Bank efforts to tame inflation will spark the biggest downturn in the property market on record.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2022/04/28/property-…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing affordability, Housing market.Property prices may tumble 15 per cent after rate increases
John Collett The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)If the Reserve Bank lifts official interest rates for the first time in more than a decade on Tuesday, as is widely expected, property prices will almost certainly take a hit, particularly if it is the start of a sustained period of higher mortgage interest rates.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/investing/property-prices-may-tumbl…
# Australia, Housing market.Aged care head backs 25 per cent wage rise in fight for gender equality
Angus Thompson The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)UnitingCare Australia has become the country’s first major aged care network to explicitly back a 25 per cent wage rise for the embattled sector’s workers, calling it a historic opportunity to address the gender pay gap. Its national director, Claerwen Little, on Friday called for the next government to fund the increase being sought by the Health Services Union – which UnitingCare has previously estimated would cost $4 billion a year – as sections of the national workforce prepare to strike in the lead-up to the May 21 federal election.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/aged-care-head-backs-25-…
# Australia, Housing market, Older people, Work, employment.Rapid rehousing is a sign homelessness prevention has failed, says Welsh charity boss
Stephen Delahunty Inside Housing (Paywall)Rapid rehousing “has some distance to travel” and is a sign that measures to prevent homelessness have failed, says the chief executive of Shelter Cymru.
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/home/home/rapid-rehousing-is-a-s…
# International, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness.Licensing scheme approved for all private rented homes in Oxford
(No paywall)Government approval of an Oxford City Council ‘selective licensing’ scheme means that all private rented homes in Oxford will need a licence from this September. Half (49.3%) of all Oxford’s homes are now privately rented. An independent review of housing conditions in 2020 found that a fifth (6,200) of the 30,500 homes in Oxford’s private rented sector could have a serious housing hazard. (Oxford City Council)
https://www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article/2166/licensing_scheme_app…
# International, Rent, Local Government, Minimum habitability standards.NSW flood victims kicked out of caravan parks to make way for tourists
Cait Kelly The Guardian (No paywall)Flood victims in New South Wales’ northern rivers say they are still struggling to find accommodation, as some are kicked out of caravan parks to make way for tourists. Linda Barney, 69, and her husband, Bob, lost everything in the floods. Their house in Coraki is destroyed and they are not sure when they will be able to return to it. The couple have been staying at the Big4 caravan park in Casino, but on Wednesday were given 24 hours’ notice that they had to leave.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/may/01/nsw-flood…
# NSW, Land lease communities, Homelessness, Regional NSW.Buying your first home with a 5 per cent deposit? It pays to know the risks
Nicola Field The New Daily (No paywall)From July 1, the First Home Guarantee will offer 35,000 first-time buyers the chance to break into the market with just a 5 per cent deposit. The scheme will help many buyers move into their first home faster than they otherwise would have done. But buying with a wafer-thin deposit can have significant downsides.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/your-budget/2022/04/26/first-…
# Australia, Affordable housing, Home ownership, Housing market.