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
Bet your house on it: three things to know from Australia's retirement income review
Amy Remeikis The Guardian (No paywall)Retirement Income Review ... The Coalition is likely to scrap any further increases to the compulsory superannuation contribution’. Read her article entitled: ‘Bet your house on it: three things to know from Australia's retirement income review.'
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/nov/21/bet-your-…
# Australia, Rent, Housing affordability, Older people.Retirement incomes review finds problems more super won’t solve
Peter Martin The Conversation (No paywall)Retirement Income Review ... There’s a real retirement income problem ... A substantial proportion of Australians, about 30%, are financially worse off in retirement than while working, and they are people neither super nor the pension can help. Mostly they are older Australians who have lost their jobs and cannot get new ones before they become eligible for the age pension or become old enough to get access to their super. Often they’ve left the workforce due to ill health or to care for others and are forced to rely on JobSeeker, which is well below the poverty line. It’s much worse if they rent privately. About one quarter of retirees who rent privately are in financial stress, so much so that the review finds even a 40% increase in the maximum Commonwealth Rent Assistance payment wouldn’t be enough to get them a decent standard of living in retirement.
https://theconversation.com/retirement-incomes-review-finds-prob…
# Must read Australia, Rent, Housing affordability, Older people.COVID-19 to reshape Sydney in “biggest way” since Spanish flu as population stalls
Matt O’Sullivan The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes says the COVID-19 pandemic will have the greatest influence on reshaping Sydney since the Spanish flu and the mass adoption of motor vehicles last century. His comments come as the population of greater Sydney is forecast to rise by just 500 people in the year to next June
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/covid-19-to-reshape-sydney-i…
# Hot topic NSW, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market, Sydney.Ballina MP Tamara Smith speaks about community, and more of the issues close to her heart
Echo NetDaily (No paywall)Ballina MP Tamara Smith speaks about land lease communities and other issues.
https://www.echo.net.au/2020/11/ballina-mp-tamara-smith-speaks-a…
# Australia, Land lease communities, Regional NSW.Rental scams targeting more Australians during pandemic
Seniors Card Extra (No paywall)Australians have lost over $300,000 to rental and accommodation scams this year, an increase of 76 per cent compared to the same time last year.
http://enews.seniorscard.nsw.gov.au/pub/pubType/EO/pubID/zzzz5f9…
# Hot topic Australia, Discrimination, Older people.Post pandemic landlord-renter relationships in Australia
David Oswald, Trivess Moore and Emma Baker AHURI (No paywall)This report looks at post pandemic landlord-renter relationships in Australia. The research investigated the mental and economic wellbeing of landlords and tenants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For landlords and tenants that have lost employment, had reduced income or are seeking employment, the pandemic leaves a challenging financial situation for meeting rent or mortgage payments.
https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/final-reports/344?utm_source=w…
# Must read, Hot topic, Research alert Australia, Eviction, Rent, Campaigns and law reform, Coronavirus COVID-19, Home, Homelessness, Personal stories.I took the Reserve Bank boss' advice - and saved thousands off my mortgage
Greg Jericho The Guardian (No paywall)Philip Lowe told people to renegotiate or switch their mortgages to get a better deal. It worked for me ...
https://www.theguardian.com/business/commentisfree/2020/nov/21/i…
# Australia, Home ownership.HILDA report shows home ownership sliding, incomes falling and inequality rising’
Rod Myer The New Daily (No paywall)Australian households are stuck in a debt spiral with their debt rising faster than their asset base, according to a new report.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/finance-news/2020/11/19/hilda…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Home ownership.