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
Cost of housing front and centre as Sydney mayoral candidates face off
Matt O'Sullivan The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Housing affordability has emerged as a key battleground issue in local council elections as an all-women field of candidates for Sydney lord mayor squared off at a debate less than two weeks before voters will go to the polls.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/cost-of-housing-front-and-ce…
# NSW, Housing affordability, Local Government.Booming property prices prompt call for greater housing diversity in SEQ
Tony Moore (Paywall)A wider mix of dwelling types will be needed to manage growth in south-east Queensland, according to the organisation that represents town planners. The Queensland branch of the Planning Institute of Australia has called for “greater diversity of housing”, a state settlement policy, and community-based planning for a larger population to avoid the growing pains that have priced many people out of the market. (Brisbane Times)
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/queensland/booming-pro…
# Australia, Housing market, Planning and development.Low interest rates and the housing stimulus keep Australia’s construction strong – but what lies in store?
Greg Jericho The Guardian (No paywall)Ahead of next week’s GDP figures the latest data on construction suggests the lockdowns in New South Wales will massively affect that state’s economic figures, but that outside the south-eastern parts of the country things have been carrying along nicely. The September quarter GDP figures due next Wednesday are likely to be among the worst ever seen. Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy told the Senate last month that he expected the economy will have fallen 3%. That would not be as bad as the 7% fall last year, but the lockdowns in NSW, ACT and then Victoria during July, August and September clearly have had a massive impact.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2021/nov/25/low…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market.Asbestos concerns after rise in Australian DIY projects
Laine Clark The New Daily (No paywall)Australians have admitted to disposing of asbestos illegally – even dumping it in their neighbour’s bin – during a COVID-19 home improvement surge, raising cancer fears.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2021/11/22/asbestos-…
# Australia, Asbestos, lead, hazardous materials, Home ownership.‘We need to be alarmed’: food banks in overdrive as politicians allow Australians to go hungry
Stephanie Convery and Luke Henriques-Gomes The Guardian (No paywall)Food banks in Australia were overwhelmed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Whole industries shut down, shedding jobs, and vulnerable people were suddenly more numerous and visible than ever. The demand for food relief exploded, and the charity sector went into overdrive. But the unique circumstances of the pandemic obscure a much more insidious problem. Guardian Australia has collated data from the past decade from the three major food relief providers nationally – Foodbank, OzHarvest and SecondBite – and spoken to organisations working in or connected to the food relief sector, as well as people directly using these services. The evidence is overwhelming: demand for food relief was rising before the pandemic hit, even before the black summer bushfires that preceded it. Food relief organisations all say the same thing: they are helping more people than ever before. But this is not a good news story. Something is terribly wrong.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/nov/21/we-need-t…
# Australia, Families, Homelessness.Homeowners will need to dig deep to keep a roof over their head
Jennifer Duke The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)... But while there is rampant debate among economists about exactly when the Reserve Bank is likely to make its next moves, and no one knows for certain exactly when a change will happen, there is widespread agreement that the next step is upwards. Homeowners with a mortgage and those with plans to take one on in the next few years would be wise to take a bit of time to consider what this means for them.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/homeowners-will-need-to-…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market.House prices to hit skids as rates rise
John Collett The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The pace of property price hikes in Sydney and Melbourne are likely to slow from the strong gains made over the past 12 months. Property experts are tipping that prices will rise another 5 per cent or 6 per cent during 2022. However, the market might then crack under the weight of higher interest rates, with some market watchers predicting a price slump of between 5 per cent and 10 per cent during 2023.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/investing/house-prices-to-hit-skids…
# Australia, Home ownership, Housing market.Darwin's Salvos hostel is home to dozens of men and women, and a few chickens and budgies
Conor Byrne ABC (No paywall)As Darwin city has grown, a little hostel for the homeless in the CBD has been dwarfed by towering office blocks and apartment buildings. But its heart is bigger than ever. House 49 has just been renovated using entirely donated funds, giving renewed pride to the former Red Shield Hostel which has been on prime Darwin land since the 1950s.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-24/darwin-salvos-house-49-ho…
# Australia, Homelessness.