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
Federal Budget 2021: All the major property tricks for first homebuyers explained
Stuart Marsh 9 News (No paywall)First home buyers trying to enter Australia's red-hot property market are set to be offered some relief under a number of new initiatives announced in this year's Federal Budget.
Despite property prices rising at the fastest month-on-month rate in 33 years, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told the parliament that "under the Coalition, home ownership will always be supported".
https://www.9news.com.au/national/federal-budget-2021-first-home…
# Australia, Affordable housing, Federal Government, Home ownership, Housing market.Protesters demand 3600-unit wetlands project be sent back to drawing board
Tony Moore The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The Queensland government should call in the controversial Toondah Harbour proposal – to build 3600 units on internationally recognised wetlands at Cleveland – because it now varies considerably from the way it was first explained to the Redland community, critics say.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/queensland/protesters-demand-360…
# Australia, Housing market, Planning and development, State Government.Housing boom ‘not expected to be sustained’ budget papers say
Jennifer Duke The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The Sydney and Melbourne property boom is facing a slowdown on federal government forecasts as closed international borders and the end of grants encouraging home building hit the housing market brakes.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/housing-boom-not-expecte…
# Australia, Federal Government, Home ownership, Housing market.NSW Housing Strategy – more “homework” needed to fix our broken housing market
(No paywall)In 2020, Shelter NSW was pleased to see the NSW Government embark on the development of NSW’s first 20-year housing strategy. In our submission we commended the Government for tackling the task. But we added a reminder – that Government has a unique capability and responsibility to ensure that the resulting strategy was more than a compilation of a myriad of many ‘good ideas’ – more than a ‘Housing’s Greatest Hits’ if you like. We wanted to see a clear, long-term commitment to large, well-funded, high priority approaches that would produce a demonstrable difference for people and communities. [Read on ...]
https://mailchi.mp/shelternsw/special-ebulletin-nsw-housing-stra…
# Must read NSW, Public and community housing, Rent, Campaigns and law reform, Homelessness, Housing affordability, Housing market, Planning and development, State Government.Federal Judge Strikes Down Moratorium on Evicting Renters
Glen Thrush The New York Times (No paywall)WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Wednesday struck down the nationwide moratorium on evictions imposed by the Trump administration last year and extended by President Biden until June 30, a ruling that could affect tenants struggling to pay rent during the pandemic. The decision, by Judge Dabney Friedrich of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, is the most significant federal ruling on the moratorium yet, and follows three similar federal court decisions. The Justice Department immediately filed an appeal ...
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/05/us/politics/eviction-moratori…
# Hot topic International, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Federal Government, Housing market.A Housing Strategy for NSW: a good idea, but Housing 2041 falls short
Hal Pawson and Vivienne Milligan The Fifth Estate (No paywall)The NSW government’s new 20-year housing strategy gives broad nod to issues at play while offering few actionable solutions. ... The promise of an effective long-term housing strategy for NSW has not been fulfilled … yet. For now, it appears that citizens will have to wait at least two more years (and until after the next election) to discover whether this state can develop a credible housing strategy.
https://thefifthestate.com.au/columns/spinifex/a-housing-strateg…
# Must read NSW, Aboriginal renters, Public and community housing, Rent, Affordable housing, Disability, Housing affordability, Housing market, Older people, Planning and development, State Government, Tax.Before she was a CEO, Michele and her kids lost everything
Sherryn Groch The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)While more men sleep rough on the street, and older women are now the fastest-growing demographic in homelessness statistics, young families - women and children - still make up the bulk of those without securing housing. The numbers are likely even greater than we think, experts say, with many women afraid to front up to services for fear of having their kids taken away, or else returning to violent homes to spare their children nights sleeping rough. And, despite increased government funding and focus on domestic violence in recent years, women’s refuges remain stretched to their limits. [Read on ...]
https://www.smh.com.au/national/before-she-was-a-ceo-michele-and…
# Hot topic Australia, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, Federal Government, Homelessness, State Government, Women.Renters face eviction, homelessness as pandemic support falls away
Isabelle Lane The New Daily (No paywall)Renters across Australia are facing eviction and homelessness following the end of pandemic support, a new report has warned, with advocates urging the federal government to address the crisis in next week’s Budget. ... [Anglicare Australia executive director Kasy Chambers] called on the Morrison government to urgently boost social welfare payments to mitigate the affordable housing crisis. “We need action in next week’s Budget. We need to lift JobSeeker and other payments above the poverty line,” she said. “If we don’t, people out of work will be pushed deeper into housing stress and even homelessness.” You will find a media release and the full report entitled "A Perfect Storm" at: [https://www.anglicare.asn.au/news-and-media/latest-news/2021/05/08/a-perfect-storm-survey-shows-rental-hardship-is-a-ticking-time-bomb]
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2021/05/09/rent-evic…
# Must read Australia, Rent, Affordable housing, Federal Government, Homelessness, Housing market, Welfare.