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
Jordan Van Den Lamb AKA Purple Pingers Announces Political Bid: ‘Don’t Vote For A Landlord’
Rebekah Manibog Pedestrian (No paywall)Jordan van den Lamb — famously known as Purple Pingers online — has announced that he will be running for parliament alongside the Victorian Socialists in the next federal election. Lamb, who is known for his rental advocacy work as well as the landlord-blasting site shitrentals.org, will be running for Senate in the next federal election, due to take place in 2025. “I just wanted to let you know that at the next federal election, I will be running for the senate with Victorian socialists,” the 28-year-old content creator began in his announcement. “That’s because it’s pretty obvious we need some change.
https://www.pedestrian.tv/news/jordan-van-der-lamb-run-for-senat…
# Must read, Hot topic Australia, .Minister orders review of NSW Strata and Property Services Commissioner John Minns's stake in property group
Linton Besser, Mayeta Clark and Echo Hui ABC (No paywall)The NSW Strata and Property Services Commissioner — responsible for overseeing strata governance and assisting in the regulation of the state's property sector — has failed to publicly disclose more than 500,000 shares in a major real estate and strata services company. John Minns was originally appointed by the state government in November 2021. At the time, he told the public, via an official government biography, that he had "sold his interest in Independent Property Group in mid-2021".
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-23/minister-orders-review-of…
# Hot topic Australia, Strata.These Australians have waited years for their public housing to be repaired. A class action has now been filed
Kamin Gock ABC (No paywall)Collapsed ceilings, termite infestations, broken toilets, rotting walls, unsafe drinking water and no front doors. No one would find these living conditions acceptable. Yet in public housing, in Australia's remote Indigenous communities, these are just some of the realities tenants have faced for a prolonged period. In Gillarong, a small community south-east of Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia's Kimberley region, there are only about a dozen homes — but one in particular stands out. Since March 2022, it has had no roof after a storm ripped it off.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-22/wa-indigenous-public-hous…
# Must read Australia, Public and community housing, Rent, Repairs, Security and safety.Social housing that puts design first is creating communities and homes residents are proud of
Annika Burgess ABC (No paywall)With a pool, gym, community gardens, and open-plan living, Tanya Rahme initially thought her social housing apartment was part of a scam. "When I received a call last October from my housing provider telling me about this utopia, I thought, 'those bloody scammers'," she said. Ms Rahme spent nearly four years couch surfing, living in women's shelters, and sleeping in her storage unit while going days without showering. She never imagined being homeless at 50 years old, but she struggled to get back on her feet after falling victim to "dodgy mortgage lenders".
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-27/design-led-social-public-…
# Must read Australia, Public and community housing, Rent.Victorian government announces latest changes to short stay levy bill
ABC (No paywall)New additions to the Victorian government's short stay levy bill will give local councils and owners corporations the power to ban residents from using leasing platforms like Airbnb to rent out their properties. The reforms, pushed by the Victorian Greens, will allow both local councils and owners corporations to block short stay rental accommodation (STRA) in their area. Councils will be able to restrict everything from the number of STRA properties in their LGA to the number of days a property can be listed, all the way to a total ban.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-27/housing-policy-airbnb-reg…
# Legal significance Australia, .Aussie housing crisis inflamed by ’world’s most generous tax breaks’
Sophie Foster realestate.com.au (No paywall)A move by federal politicians has inflamed Australia’s housing crisis, cutting out millions from owning a home. ‘The world’s most generous tax breaks’ handed to property investors by federal politicians is helping cut millions from owning a home, industry warns. A new report warns that the wealthiest Australians now hold 90 times the wealth of those with the least – fed by “the most generous tax breaks in the world” for housing investments including capital gains tax discounts and negative gearing.
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/australias-federal-pollies-re…
# Hot topic Australia, .The bush capital is densifying, but finding an affordable place to call home in Canberra is far from a guarantee
Patrick Bell ABC (No paywall)Aaron Chia hit a major life milestone last year, when he became a homeowner. The 29-year-old bought a one-bedroom apartment in the inner Canberra suburb of Braddon. He is one of many Canberrans opting for higher density living, as development has accelerated in recent years. "I was just looking for a place that was quite central to the city, because I don't really like to commute very much," he said. "I quite like having a low maintenance area to live in, and it feels a bit more secure to me having a bit more of a communal feel to it."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-26/canberra-housing-cost-pop…
# Hot topic Australia, .Esperance rental prices soar by 45pc amid 'alarming' housing shortage
Hayden Smith and Jacqueline Lynch ABC (No paywall)Scrolling through rental property listings has become a tedious and stressful task for Zilla Miller. The beauty therapist and her husband Garth have grown to love Esperance, a "fabulous" community on Western Australia's south coast, since they relocated from Kalgoorlie about four years ago. But circumstances are such that they need to find a new rental home — and pickings are slim. "Everything on the market at the moment is well and truly above what our income is," Ms Miller said. In the space of just three months, the town's median rental price soared by about 45 per cent to $550 per week.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-28/esperance-rental-market-s…
# Must read Australia, Rent, Starting a tenancy.