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.
Our main email newsletter, Tenant News is sent once every two months. You can subscribe or update your subscription preferences for any of our email newsletters here.
See notes about the Digest and a list of other contributors here. Many thanks to those contributors for sharing links with us.
We love sharing the news and hope you find it informative! We're very happy to deliver it for free, but if you find it valuable, can you help cover the extra costs incurred by making a donation?
Archive
New report: COVID-19 Rental Housing and Homelessness Impacts
Shelter NSW (No paywall)The UNSW-ACOSS Inequality Partnership released a new report yesterday that looks at the impacts of rapid policy changes made during COVID-19 on private renters and people experiencing homelessness. Here you will find a link to Shelter NSW’s summary of the report and its conclusions. (Shelter NSW Special e-bulletin)
https://mailchi.mp/shelternsw/new-report-covid-19-rental-housing…
# Must read, Hot topic Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Federal Government, Homelessness, State Government.Labor to dump Bill Shorten’s negative gearing and capital gains policies
James Massola The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Labor is expected to dump Bill Shorten’s negative gearing and capital gains tax policies, but remains undecided on how best to tackle housing affordability.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-to-dump-bill-short…
# Must read Australia, Housing affordability, Housing market, Landlords and agents, Tax.Economist survey finds most believe Australia's lack of social housing is costly
Amy Remeikis The Guardian (No paywall)Australia’s leading economists agree – governments don’t spend enough time on housing policy in Australia and it is costing us money as well as widening the inequality gap. UNSW’s City Futures Research Centre surveyed 47 top economists (mostly professors) and 40 senior experts (chief executives and partners) from across government, industry and academia and found 84% agreed “Australian governments have paid too little attention to how housing outcomes also affect productivity and growth”.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/feb/15/economist…
# Must read Australia, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, Federal Government, Housing market, State Government.City of Sydney proposes fewer high-rise buildings for Waterloo revamp
Megan Gorrey The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)No more than three high-rise apartment buildings will tower over Waterloo’s revamped public housing estate, under the City of Sydney’s plans to accommodate thousands of new homes demanded by the NSW government.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/city-of-sydney-proposes-fewe…
# Hot topic NSW, Public and community housing, Estate renewal, Planning and development.Minister flags major extension to state’s $5.3b social housing blitz
Bianca Hall and Chloe Booker The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Thousands more social housing properties will be built over the next four years, on top of a $5.3 billion social housing construction blitz, under an ambitious 10-year strategy outlined by Housing Minister Richard Wynne.
The building initiative, which could lead to 14,500 homes being constructed in the first four years alone, is being billed as the biggest social and affordable housing program in the state’s history.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/minister-flags-major-ex…
# Hot topic Australia, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, Housing market, State Government.McGowan on the hunt for new homeless facility after hostel leasing bungle
Hamish hastie The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The McGowan government is on the hunt for a new 100-bed homeless facility in Perth’s CBD after it was revealed it didn’t actually have a lease for the Wellington Street hostel selected for the project. With the election campaign roaring back to life, WA Labor announced on Sunday it would spend $14.3 million on turning the YHA Perth hostel into a transitional and crisis accommodation facility for the homeless.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/western-australia/mcgowan-on-the…
# Hot topic Australia, Homelessness.Australia's homelessness starts to rise again as economic support is wound back
SBS (No paywall)Less than a third of Australia's homeless people who were provided temporary hotel accommodation during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic have successfully transitioned into longer-term housing. Meanwhile, some 30 per cent of tenants who received rent variations from their landlords received deferrals rather than reductions - meaning their debts have ballooned as the economy remains in the doldrums.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/australia-s-homelessness-starts-to-r…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness.Forced home sales unlikely as deferral schemes come to an end: CBA
Clancy Yeates The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The Commonwealth Bank says many borrowers who froze their mortgage repayments in response to COVID-19 are switching to lower fixed rates or interest-only loans to avoid the prospect of selling their homes. At the end of next month, emergency loan deferrals offered by banks in response to the pandemic will end, requiring customers to either resume their repayments or look at other options, including selling their property.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/forced-home-…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Home ownership.