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
NSW building boost aimed at social housing
Andi Yi (Paywall)Social housing tenants will be encouraged to apply for traineeships on social housing construction projects as part of a specially targeted $80 million NSW economic recovery plan. (7 News)
https://7news.com.au/politics/budget/charity-sector-in-line-for-…
# NSW, Public and community housing.Byron Bay, Bangalow, Coffs Harbour and Wollongong property booms pricing out locals in regional NSW
ABC Staff ABC (No paywall)Amanda Sinclair and her partner had a dream of living cheaply by the beach, and had wanted to move to the Illawarra for five years but were forced to remain living in Sydney for work. That all changed when COVID-19 forced a rethink on working from home, and the couple finally saw an opportunity to move south to Wollongong.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-16/northern-nsw-property-byr…
# NSW, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing affordability, Regional NSW.Single mum alerts housing rental crisis in Northern Rivers through moving poem
ABC (No paywall)Rebecca Rushbrook is a single mother of three children and Finnegan the black Lab. The house they have been renting in Lismore for the past three years has been sold and she can't find another. Through her struggles of turning up to inspections with up to 50 other people, Rebecca expressed her concerns of ever finding somewhere to live for her tribe through poetry.
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/northcoast/programs/breakfast/housi…
# Audio NSW, Housing affordability, Housing market, Regional NSW.NSW budget: deficit to hit $16bn as treasurer unveils plan to replace stamp duty with annual property tax’
Michael McGowen The Guardian (No paywall)The New South Wales government will attempt to turn around a historic $16bn budget deficit bought on by the Covid-19 pandemic by undertaking a major reform of its tax system. ... The government will also spend $812m to build 1,300 new social houses across the state. A little over half of those will be built in the Sydney metro area.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/nov/17/nsw-budge…
# New policy announcement NSW, Tax.No more Swedish tap mixers: Stamp duty reform aims for economic boost
Shane Wright The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The New South Wales government will attempt to turn around a historic $16bn budget deficit bought on by the Covid-19 pandemic by undertaking a major reform of its tax system. ... The government will also spend $812m to build 1,300 new social houses across the state. A little over half of those will be built in the Sydney metro area.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/no-more-swedish-tap-mixe…
# New policy announcement NSW, Tax.Winners and losers in the 2020 NSW budget
Lucy Cormack The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Lucy Cormack writes about winners and losers in the 2020 NSW State Budget.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/winners-and-losers-in-the-20…
# NSW, Public and community housing.“I had to sleep in the car”: Crisis puts social housing back on the agenda
Jewel Topsfield The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Marta Ayala lost her job as a carer for the elderly when she developed an allergy that led to a lung infection three years ago. Her savings dwindled away and soon the 54-year-old could no longer afford the rent. Since then she has shuffled between shared accommodation and boarding houses. "Sometimes I had to sleep in the car," Ms Ayala said.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/i-had-to-sleep-in-the-c…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness.With Perth rental vacancy rates the tightest in ten years, tenants' rights are in the spotlight
Rhiannon Shine ABC (No paywall)With WA's rental vacancy rate the lowest it's been in more than a decade, many tenants are growing increasingly anxious about the looming eviction moratorium end date. Perth's rental vacancy rate is less than one per cent, and the Real Estate Institute of WA (REIWA) expects rents will increase by 15 to 20 per cent when the emergency moratorium is lifted in March next year.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-07/perth-rentals-tightest-in…
# Australia, Housing market.