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.
Our main email newsletter, Tenant News is sent once every two months. You can subscribe or update your subscription preferences for any of our email newsletters here.
See notes about the Digest and a list of other contributors here. Many thanks to those contributors for sharing links with us.
We love sharing the news and hope you find it informative! We're very happy to deliver it for free, but if you find it valuable, can you help cover the extra costs incurred by making a donation?
Archive
Older Tenants Voice - Autumn Newsletter
Housing for the Aged Action Group (No paywall)The Autumn Edition of our Newsletter Older Tenants Voice is hot off the press, packed with updates from our services, stories from members and clients, and messages to political candidates ahead of the federal election.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?pli=1#inbox/WhctKKXPjnxGtDGxJz…
# Australia, Campaigns and law reform, Federal Government, Homelessness, LGBTIQ+, Older people, Women.Parliamentary inquiry homelessness amongst older people
(No paywall)A Parliamentary inquiry was established on 23 March 2022 to inquire into and report on homelessness amongst older people aged over 55 in New South Wales. Check our 'Terms of Reference' and so-on. (Parliament of New South Wales)
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/inq…
# Hot topic NSW, Homelessness, Older people.Stability and security: the keys to closing the mental health gap between renters and home owners
Angi Li, Emma Baker and Rebecca Bentley The Conversation (No paywall)That renters have poorer mental health than home owners is well-documented. But how much of this is due to being in rental accommodation itself, rather than other factors such as lower incomes? Our research quantifies this, showing housing insecurity has a clear impost on renters’ mental health. The good news is our results show the gap between renters and home owners can be closed through longer rental tenure. ... One reform to give renters more security is to end no-grounds eviction – by which landlords can evict tenants on a fixed-term lease if they wish. The Victorian government did so in 2021. Queensland will do so in October. The other states and territories should follow suit.
https://theconversation.com/stability-and-security-the-keys-to-c…
# Research alert Australia, Rent, Health, Home ownership, Housing market, No-grounds evictions.Sydney now at the mercy of developers, and killer heat
Jeff Angel The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Have the developers now been put in charge of our urban future? The decision by the new NSW Minister for Planning, Anthony Roberts, to ditch ministerial planning principles begs that question. The principles were directed at making Sydney more climate ready and resilient, but now developers are confidently predicting that an essential set of design and place rules to protect and expand tree canopy, improve urban and building cooling and walkability, create more green spaces and achieve net zero will be dropped or massively amended.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sydney-now-at-the-mercy-of-d…
# NSW, Climate change, Planning and development, State Government.NSW Planning Minister scraps order to consider flood, fire risks before building
Julie Power The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)NSW Planning Minister Anthony Roberts scrapped a requirement to consider the risks of floods and fires before building new homes only two weeks after it came into effect and while the state was reeling from a deadly environmental disaster. Mr Roberts last week revoked a ministerial directive by his predecessor Robert Stokes outlining nine principles for sustainable development, including managing the risks of climate change, a decision top architects have branded “short-sighted” and hard to understand.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nsw-planning-minister-scraps…
# NSW, Housing affordability, Housing market, Planning and development, State Government.Regional rents skyrocket as residents leave capital cities
Rachel Chun The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)More Australians are leaving capital cities for the bush than before the coronavirus pandemic, contributing to a jump in regional rents that experts warn will put people at greater risk of homelessness without government action. Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) chief executive Cassandra Goldie said COVID-19 and the floods in Queensland and NSW had only aggravated the national rental problem. ... A report from ACOSS and UNSW Sydney’s poverty and inequality partnership found that for the most part, house prices and rents had been inflamed rather than subdued over the first two years of the pandemic. Also, read Joanna Woodburn's article entitled: 'Pandemic, "missed opportunities", need for space fuelling Australia's housing crisis, report says' on the ABC at: [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-22/report-finds-need-for-space-reason-behind-rental-housing-crisis/100926884]
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/regional-rents-skyrocket…
# Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness, Housing affordability, Housing market, Regional NSW.COVID-19: Housing market impacts and housing policy responses - an international review
ACOSS and UNSW Sydney Poverty and Inequality Partnership (No paywall)ACOSS (the Australian Council of Social Service) has partnered with UNSW Sydney to undertake a five year research and impact collaboration to sharpen the national focus on poverty and inequality in Australia. The latest report is written by Penny Dorsh and entitled: 'Housing affordability takes a hit - regionally and globally'. It shows that regional rents are now 18% higher than 2 years ago, at the start of the COVID 19 pandemic. Given that wages have only risen by 6%, the report concludes that regional rental housing affordability has significantly worsened during the public health crisis. Every Australian capital city and regional area has seen rent rises during this crisis period far in excess of wage increases or CPI-linked payment adjustment, with the exception of Sydney and Melbourne. State-level figures show that the situation for regional renters in Tasmania and Western Australia is particularly difficult because of even larger housing cost increases. Check the link at: [https://povertyandinequality.acoss.org.au/news/housing-affordability-takes-a-hit-regionally-and-globally/] As well, you will find links to all the reports to date here.
# Research alert Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing affordability, International, Regional NSW.Omicron chaos may have killed more in aged care than COVID-19 itself, data shows
Geoff Thompson ABC (No paywall)At the height of Australia's Omicron wave there was a "highly statistically significant" jump in the number of people who died in aged care for reasons other than coronavirus, according to a prominent Australian epidemiologist. Federal Health Department data revealed to ABC's Background Briefing program confirmed factors other than the virus itself were leading to the deaths above the usual rate, particularly in January this year. University of Melbourne professor of epidemiology Tony Blakely said the data showed in January there was "a substantial increase in death risk" in aged care "even after removing COVID-19 deaths". Aged care providers and families of residents have told Background Briefing a shortage of skilled workers and subsequent chaos caused by COVID-19 became a killer on its own during the peak of the Omicron wave.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-23/omicron-chaos-may-have-ki…
# Australia, Federal Government, Housing market, Older people.