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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
They’re the ‘cockroaches’ of Sydney housing. But what will terraces look like in future?
Julie Power The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)For NSW government architect Abbie Galvin they’re “the pillar of resilience”. For enthusiast and TV host Tim Ross, they’re the “cockroach of design”. The great Sydney terrace house is not only here to stay, but it also offers lessons that can be applied to today’s housing crisis. The NSW government will soon search for the terrace of the future that will address a shortage of low- to medium-density affordable housing in Sydney’s missing middle close to public transport and jobs.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/they-re-the-cockroaches-of-s…
# Hot topic NSW, Rent.Our cold, leaky houses barely fit for purpose, says UOW expert
Natalie Croxon Illawarra Mercury (Soft Paywall)Professor Tim McCarthy grew up in Ireland and spent two decades in the United Kingdom but it wasn’t until he moved to Australia that he experienced his coldest winter. The director of the University of Wollongong’s Sustainable Buildings Research Centre said older Australian homes performed badly in the cold, with those built in the 1950s to 1970s designed to promote natural ventilation for summer. They were also designed for a climate that no longer existed, he said, with more extremes now experienced on Australia’s east coast. So what we have is we’ve got very leaky houses from an air tightness point of view, which leads to them being very energy inefficient – very expensive to cool, and very expensive to heat,” Professor McCarthy said.
# Hot topic NSW, Rent, Utilities electricity water gas.The unusual political pairing squaring up against Labor on housing
Paul Sakkal The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Max Chandler-Mather and Andrew Bragg have little in common – except for a shared conviction that the federal government’s agenda on housing is behind the times and a weakness they can exploit. The energetic Greens housing frontman and the equally enthusiastic opposition housing affordability spokesman may unite to block Labor’s home ownership and rental policies when parliament returns next week. The parliamentary clash will mirror last year’s fight over Labor’s signature $10 billion building fund and, the pair hopes, expose frustrations inside the government about the scale of its housing agenda.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-unusual-political-pa…
# Must read, Hot topic, Legal significance NSW, Rent.‘Bad for the whole of NSW’: Inside the north shore’s NIMBY crusade
Michael Koziol The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Halfway through a council meeting on the night of March 25, it became clear Ku-ring-gai’s elected representatives were not against Premier Chris Minns’ housing reforms purely to guard their own wicket. They were on a mission from God. “I don’t want the state government’s plans implemented anywhere, not simply Ku-ring-gai,” said councillor Simon Lennon. “I don’t want them implemented in Newcastle, I don’t want them implemented on the Central Coast, I don’t want them implemented in Wollongong. “We don’t live on islands, we’re not behind borders. We move... This is not a matter of YIMBY or NIMBYism – because this is bad for the whole of NSW.”
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/bad-for-the-whole-of-nsw-ins…
# Hot topic NSW, Rent.Christie Lewis facing big damage repair bill because her rental home wasn't big enough for her wheelchair
Nick McAllister ABC (No paywall)Christie Lewis feels "really, really isolated" in her Perth rental home. Ms Lewis, who has a spinal injury, can't have her friends to visit because her home is largely inaccessible for wheelchairs. "I can't have any of my friends that have disabilities over because they can't use the toilet independently," she said. Which is a major barrier: the very home she rents fails to accommodate her needs. When Ms Lewis spent time in hospital for treatment, she was unable to be discharged because of a lack of suitable accommodation. "My discharge was delayed multiple months, wholly and solely based on the fact that my house was not accessible to me," she said. She ended up staying with a friend for six months, so that her current home could be made more accessible. But even now, it's far from ideal.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-22/disability-accessible-hou…
# Must read Australia, Discrimination, Rent.Should Australia recognise housing as a human right? Two crossbenchers are taking up the cause
Paul Karp The Guardian (No paywall)Should adequate housing be considered a human right? The Australian Human Rights Commission thinks so, including it in a list of rights that should receive legislative protection. That call for a Human Rights Act was backed in May by a parliamentary committee chaired by the Labor MP Josh Burns. Now the crossbench will take up the cause, with the independent senator David Pocock and the MP Kylea Tink set to introduce a private members’ bill in both chambers this week.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/jun/24/s…
# Must read, Legal significance Australia, Rent.Concerns Australian migrants being left behind in green energy transition
Gavin Coote ABC (No paywall)Efforts are underway to ensure people from culturally diverse backgrounds aren't left behind as Australia races to reduce its carbon emissions. The nation's uptake of rooftop solar has been world-leading, but advocates are worried not everyone is finding it easy to access — and benefit from — renewable energy. Energy Consumers Australia senior policy associate Caroline Valente said cultural and language barriers had left many people feeling excluded. "The energy system in Australia is like a confusopoly, because it's intended to confuse everyone," Ms Valente said. "For migrants the energy industry jargon, unfamiliarity with Australian consumer rights and the system can actually make it really difficult for people to make choices for their household, their lifestyle, and that can help reduce their bills."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-24/migrants-left-behind-sola…
# Hot topic Australia, Discrimination, Rent, Utilities electricity water gas.Concerns Victoria's raised minimum rental standards will further squeeze rental market
Emile Pavlich and Lexie Jeuniewic ABC (No paywall)Victorian landlords could soon have to make significant changes to their properties under the state's new minimum rental standards, raising concerns it will put further pressure on an already tight market. The proposal, which is open for consultation, is mainly focused on improving energy efficiency of rental properties. It includes prescribing standards on ceiling insulation, draught proofing, hot water systems, cooling and heating. If agreed upon, the changes would be regulated from October 30 this year. It would come three years after minimum rental standards were first introduced by the state government.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-20/victorian-minimum-rental-…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent.