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
SA Health defends decision to quarantine homeless Aboriginal people in tents on oval
Shari Hams ABC (No paywall)South Australia's health department has defended the decision to quarantine Aboriginal homeless close contacts in tents on a Port Augusta oval. Chinnery Park Oval was set up for the facility in a partnership between SA Health, SA Police and Aboriginal health service Pika Wiya.
A staff member at a sobering-up centre in Port Augusta tested positive to COVID-19 last week, sending about 35 people into isolation. All close contacts isolating at the site have tested negative thus far.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-05/homeless-covid-isolation-…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness, Race and ethnicity.House dust from 35 countries reveals our global toxic contaminant exposure and health risk
Cynthia Faye Isley, Kara Fry and Marl Patrick Taylor The Conversation (No paywall)Everyone’s home gets dusty, but is yours the same as house dust in China or the US? Researchers around the world have united to capture the world’s first trans-continental data on household dust. ... The study shows it doesn’t matter whether you live in a high or low income country, are rich or poor – we’re all exposed to contaminants via dust. ... Australia has concerning levels of arsenic and lead contamination in house dust. One in six Australian homes exceeded the US Environmental Protection Agency acceptable health risk. Arsenic exposure can increase cancer risk and cause problems to respiratory health and immune function. Lead can affect children’s brain and nervous system development, causing behavioural and developmental problems. It’s clear lead mining and smelting activities cause high lead levels in dust for local communities. But the study shows inner city areas are equally affected, commonly from legacy sources like emissions from the leaded petrol era, or peeling lead paint in homes.
https://theconversation.com/house-dust-from-35-countries-reveals…
# Research alert NSW, Asbestos, lead, hazardous materials, International.Report from the future: Aotearoa New Zealand is looking good in 2040 – here’s how we did it
Thomas Nash The Conversation (No paywall)Housing for all ... Anger at the divide between property owners and renters culminated in a general rent strike in 2024. The government responded with new financial rules ending the treatment of housing as an asset class. Kāinga Ora, Māori organisations and councils have undertaken a massive public housing construction effort. Most new housing is now public infrastructure rather than private homes built to store individual wealth. Public ownership has expanded, in particular for entities that provide core services such as transport, energy and water. In 2024, the government worked with councils to focus plans on quality universal design housing. Since the new building code was adopted in 2025, all new homes have high standards for energy efficiency and accessibility. Higher density apartments line public transport routes in the main centres, with terraced homes in smaller towns. Structural timber has replaced concrete and steel in many construction projects.
https://theconversation.com/report-from-the-future-aotearoa-new-…
# International, Public and community housing, Rent, Utilities electricity water gas, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.China’s Evergrande halts trading after ordered to tear down apartments
Jan Dahinten The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Chinese developer shares tumbled following local media reports that China Evergrande Group has been ordered to tear down apartment blocks in a development in Hainan province. Evergrande halted trading in its shares. ... The government of Danzhou, a prefecture-level city in the southern Chinese province of Hainan, asked Evergrande to tear down 39 illegal buildings in 10 days, Cailian reported on Sunday, citing a document from the local government. You can read the same story at: [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-03/china-evergrande-shares-halt-detb-crisis/100735938]
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/china-s-evergrande-hal…
# International, Housing market, Planning and development.‘Storm clouds gathering’ for Sydney and Melbourne property markets
Jennifer Duke The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Melbourne house prices and Sydney apartment values eased at the end of the biggest boom year in three decades, prompting economists to warn a downswing has begun in these two major property markets.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/storm-clouds-gathering-f…
# Australia, Housing market.Sydney and Melbourne property values slow to lowest levels in a year
Jennifer Duke Domain (No paywall)The nation’s two biggest capital cities recorded the slowest property price growth in the nation at the end of 2021, with both Melbourne and Sydney recording falls for some homes.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/sydney-and-melbourne-proper…
# Australia, Housing market, Regional NSW.Should you buy that investment property this year?
Melissa Heagney Domain (No paywall)Property investors are set to snap up homes and apartments across Australia in 2022, as interest rates remain low and rental vacancy rates continue to tighten. But experts are forecasting it won’t all be smooth sailing, as future landlords face the uncertainty of both federal and state elections, with housing policies that are yet to be defined. They also face possible interest rate hikes, which are looming on the back of inflationary pressures
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/should-you-buy-that-investm…
# Australia, Housing market, Landlords and agents.Will interest rates rise in 2022?
Elizabeth Redman and Kate Burke Domain (No paywall)Chatter about rising interest rates is set to slow property price growth in 2022, although the cash rate is expected to stay on hold until late in the year or 2023, economists say. ... ANZ expects the first hike in the first half of 2023, Westpac tips February 2023, NAB says mid-2023, while both CBA and AMP Capital predict November 2022.
https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/will-interest-rates-rise-in…
# Australia, Housing market.