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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See notes about the Digest and a list of other contributors here. Many thanks to those contributors for sharing links with us.
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Archive
How an energy-efficient renovation can help you save hundreds on bills
Matt Johnson The New York Times (No paywall)Australia’s scorching summer temperatures have many people cranking the air-conditioner at home to escape the heat. Unfortunately, the comfort of a cool home comes with a price: A high power bill. … However, a leading sustainable building expert says making some “quick wins” around the home can lead to substantial savings.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2020/12/06/renovate-…
# Australia, Climate change, Minimum habitability standards.Huge residential towers set for Brisbane's oldest suburb - and some residents aren't happy
Tony Moore The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)From Brisbane, angry Kangaroo Point residents have pointed to a high-rise tower wrapping around a heritage home as an example of Brisbane's failures to protect its history.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/queensland/huge-residential-towe…
# Australia, Planning and development.Doma “Foothills” development at alleged sacred Aboriginal site given conservation approvals after review
Jake Evans ABC (No paywall)From ACT, a Canberra developer planning to build luxury apartments on land allegedly used for "sacred" men's business has been told it can be built because there is not enough remaining of the site's Indigenous history to warrant protection.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-08/doma-luxury-apartments-he…
# Australia, Heritage listings.Melbourne population to outstrip Sydney by 2026 despite coronavirus lockdowns
Jennifer Duke The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Melbourne will overtake Sydney as the nation's biggest capital by 2026 despite the second wave of coronavirus outbreaks that forced Victoria back into lockdown. But national population growth will take years to recover.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/melbourne-population-to-…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Planning and development.A National Building Code for all Australians
(No paywall)Every Australian deserves a home which is safe, secure and meets their needs. Join the campaign.(Building Better Homes)
# Australia, Disability, Housing market, Minimum habitability standards.‘“It would make me feel like I belong”: Mick Combo's lifelong quest for a home
Ella Archibald Binge ABC (No paywall)Mick Combo has been trying to get into social housing for decades. At 59, Mick Combo has never had a home to call his own. The Stolen Generations survivor was taken from his mother in Western Australia as a two-year-old, and raised in state institutions to believe he was non-Indigenous.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-07/mick-combos-lifelong-ques…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Personal stories.We must not waste this opportunity to have a lasting impact on homelessness
Abigail Lewis The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The Victorian government’s “Big Housing Build” – a budget commitment to a $5.3 billion investment in social housing – will be the biggest single investment in social housing in Victoria’s history and will move the state from straggler to front runner on the national stage. Community organisations, tenants’ associations and housing policy experts have been lobbying for investment at this scale for years, joined during COVID-19 by economists and the construction industry to make the clearly persuasive case that building social housing is the most effective way to create jobs and inject much-needed stimulus into the economy.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/we-must-not-waste-th…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness.Tick expected for plan to set aside 25% of new buildings on city land for affordable rentals’
Bianca Hall The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)A bold plan to set aside 25 per cent of new developments for affordable housing on City of Melbourne-owned land is expected to be approved next week. The strategy would generate thousands of new rental properties in the municipality, which last year had a shortfall of at least 5500 affordable rentals, according to an independent assessment provided to council.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/victoria/tick-expected-for-plan-…
# Australia, Affordable housing, Planning and development.