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
COVID-19: Rental housing and homelessness impacts - an initial analysis
Hal Pawson, Chris Martin and others City Futures (No paywall)States housed 40,000 people for the COVID-19 emergency. Now rough sleeper numbers are up. Alongside protecting rough sleepers, Australian government actions to shield vulnerable renters who lost jobs and incomes in the pandemic were also relatively effective. ... The short-term success of these measures is clear. Despite a substantial rise in unemployment, there has been – as yet – no sign of any up-tick in homelessness. At the same time, though, ministerial advice that tenants with COVID-triggered income losses should negotiate rent reductions with landlords came with few ground rules on how to reach such settlements. [Indeed] Survey evidence shows many property owners refused to reduce rents. Read the summary of the full report and find a link to the full report here.
https://blogs.unsw.edu.au/cityfutures/blog/2021/02/states-housed…
# Must read Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Federal Government, Homelessness, State Government.Labor to dump Bill Shorten’s negative gearing and capital gains policies
James Massola The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Labor is expected to dump Bill Shorten’s negative gearing and capital gains tax policies, but remains undecided on how best to tackle housing affordability.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-to-dump-bill-short…
# Must read Australia, Housing affordability, Housing market, Landlords and agents, Tax.New report: COVID-19 Rental Housing and Homelessness Impacts
Shelter NSW (No paywall)The UNSW-ACOSS Inequality Partnership released a new report yesterday that looks at the impacts of rapid policy changes made during COVID-19 on private renters and people experiencing homelessness. Here you will find a link to Shelter NSW’s summary of the report and its conclusions. (Shelter NSW Special e-bulletin)
https://mailchi.mp/shelternsw/new-report-covid-19-rental-housing…
# Must read, Hot topic Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Federal Government, Homelessness, State Government.Economist survey finds most believe Australia's lack of social housing is costly
Amy Remeikis The Guardian (No paywall)Australia’s leading economists agree – governments don’t spend enough time on housing policy in Australia and it is costing us money as well as widening the inequality gap. UNSW’s City Futures Research Centre surveyed 47 top economists (mostly professors) and 40 senior experts (chief executives and partners) from across government, industry and academia and found 84% agreed “Australian governments have paid too little attention to how housing outcomes also affect productivity and growth”.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/feb/15/economist…
# Must read Australia, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, Federal Government, Housing market, State Government.Why Australia's property prices will continue to soar
Ian Verrender ABC (No paywall)Prices in some areas are up by more than a third in the space of a year as cashed up buyers fleeing the cities head for the country with dreams of permanently working from home. Regional prices rose 1.6 per cent in January, more than double that of the main capital cities. Auction clearance rates are hurtling towards a perfect score in some cities.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-15/why-australian-property-p…
# Australia, Federal Government, Housing market.Rental prices rise, vacancies disappear as Snowy Monaro town struggles to balance new arrivals and workers
Kate Aubrey ABC (No paywall)After raising five children, fostering more than 100, and having a successful career in the Australian Defence Force, Karen Morris never expected to be sleeping on the floor in her granddaughter's bedroom.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-14/rental-prices-rise-vacanc…
# NSW, Rent, Affordable housing, Homelessness, Regional NSW.Shipping Containers Are Not Housing
Lucy Holt (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... Manchester's developers and charities are proposing to house the homeless in shipping containers. The move is part of a trend of inhumanity disguised as stylish efficiency. (Tribune)
https://tribunemag.co.uk/2021/02/shipping-containers-are-not-hou…
# International, Homelessness.Plan to boost Bellingen's housing stock
Janene Carey (No paywall)With Bellingen's rental vacancy level at zero and house prices skyrocketing, the Royal Freemasons' Benevolent Institution has put forward a proposal to convert unused land and buildings into social and affordable housing. (The Bellingen Shire Courier Sun)
https://www.bellingencourier.com.au/story/7122074/plan-to-boost-…
# NSW, Affordable housing, Local Government, Regional NSW, State Government.