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
Timber skyscrapers reach for record heights and sustainable Australian cities
Angus Mackintosh ABC (No paywall)Timber skyscrapers up to 50 storeys tall may soon dot Australian skylines in a push to decarbonise and revitalise urban construction. Three separate plans have been submitted to build hybrid timber buildings in Perth and Sydney between 180 metres and 220 metres high.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-06/timber-skyscrapers-cut-em…
# Australia, Climate change, Housing market.Lights out and blinds drawn on the Australian dream as black money fuels house prices
Nathan Lynch (No paywall)Gaping loopholes, earnest advisers and an international reputation for stability have made Australia a place of choice for illicit funds. Despite a crackdown on the foreign ownership of established houses, there are still many ways for crooks to score a piece of the action, no matter which government is in power. (Michael West Media)
https://michaelwest.com.au/money-laundering-fuels-house-prices-a…
# Australia, Housing market, International.Houses to remain in flood zone under Lismore buy-back scheme
Catherine Naylor The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)A scheme to buy back people’s houses in flood-hit Lismore will likely target hundreds of homes, not thousands, according to the man in charge of rebuilding the town, meaning many more properties will remain in flood-prone areas. Almost 11,000 homes were damaged across the Northern Rivers in the February and March floods, and more than 4000 have been deemed uninhabitable, mostly in Lismore.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/houses-to-remain-in-flood-zo…
# NSW, Housing market, State Government.‘Standing neck deep in water’: Lismore residents stranded after five months of inaction
Catherine Naylor The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Maralyn Schofield loved living in North Lismore – the village-like feel of the place, the beautiful old houses and the easy walk across the bridge into town. The suburb was flood-prone but, in her elevated house, she felt she and her disabled son were safe. That all changed on February 28. “Standing neck deep in water, in a house 13 metres in the air, waiting for the SES to come, changed my view somewhat,” she noted dryly. Now she’s ready to leave, and eager to take advantage of a buyback and land swap scheme the NSW government has flagged will be part of its response to the record floods that hit the Northern Rivers in February and March, damaging almost 11,000 homes and leaving 4055 uninhabitable. ... Labor state MP Janelle Saffin said purchase prices in a buyback scheme had to be based on pre-flood property valuations, a sentiment echoed by residents. Schofield said many of the flood-affected parts of Lismore were low-socioeconomic areas and any buyback or land swap scheme had to ensure people had enough money to pay off their debts and start again.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/standing-neck-deep-in-water-…
# NSW, Homelessness, Housing market, Planning and development.Calls for more social housing and higher allowances for Tasmania's homeless youth
Alexandra Alvaro and Ros Lehman ABC (No paywall)Layla was only in year 8 when she found herself on the streets. After family conflict, she spent four months homeless, couch surfing, going to shelters and even sleeping rough. Now, at 16, she understands more than most about what lies behind a statistic. ... The latest Census data on homelessness will not be released until next year, but support groups say it is already apparent the issue has worsened over the past five years. A recent Mission Australia survey found that, during the COVID pandemic, more than one in 30 young Tasmanians experienced homelessness for the first time in their lives.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-03/tas-youth-homelesness-ris…
# Australia, Home ownership, Homelessness, Young people.Heated WA construction market affecting social housing
Michael Ramsay The New Daily (No paywall)Efforts to address homelessness in Western Australia are being hampered by a construction market so heated that even the government is struggling to find contractors. Housing Minister John Carey has told a forum organised by Shelter WA “massive cost escalations” are forcing a rethink of how best to deliver social housing. Also, read a similar story entitled: 'McGowan government says it cannot find builders for social housing developments' in 'The Guardian' at: [https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/aug/03/mcgowan-government-says-it-cannot-find-builders-for-social-housing-developments].
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2022/08/03/wa-constr…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Homelessness, Housing market.Minister slams proposal to build 130 homes on north shore sports fields
Andrew Taylor The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Plans for more than 130 homes on sports fields in suburban Sydney have been criticised by a senior NSW government minister, as a local council vows to protect the green space from developers. North Ryde RSL and Eastwood Rugby submitted a proposal to the City of Ryde council to rezone the privately owned TG Millner Field in Marsfield to allow the construction of 132 terraced houses and a new public park.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/minister-slams-proposal-to-b…
# NSW, Affordable housing, Housing market, Local Government, Older people, Planning and development, State Government.‘I couldn’t even get a look in’: Why it’s so hard to rent in regional Victoria
Benjamin Preiss The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Councils on the Bass Coast and in East Gippsland will ask thousands of holiday home and investment property owners to put their houses on the long-term rental market, rather than short-stay sites, as regional Victoria grapples with a dire shortage of rental homes. The East Gippsland and Bass Coast shires, which cover some of Victoria’s most popular tourism towns, will write to ratepayers imploring them to help residents who need long-term homes instead of listing their houses on sites such as Airbnb – even though this option can be more lucrative.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/i-couldn-t-even-get-a-l…
# Australia, Rent, Housing market, Landlords and agents, Local Government, Short-term holiday letting.