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
Ending child poverty in Australia
Stephanie Collett ABC (No paywall)Anti-poverty and housing advocates will sit down with the Social Services Minister to state their case for an increase to income support. They say the current payments on offer leave single mothers making a choice between violence or poverty - a decision which directly impacts their children. (ABC Radio National)
https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/ending-c…
# Audio Australia, Housing market, Welfare, Women.More than one in eight UK households fear they have no way of making more cuts
Sarah Butler The Guardian (No paywall)More than one in eight UK households fear they have no further way to make cuts to afford a sharp increase in annual energy bills this autumn. More than a quarter of households earning less than £20,000 worry they will be unable to cope with higher bills, with families in Yorkshire, the south-west and Northern Ireland the least confident about covering their costs, according to the latest rebuilding Britain index of 20,000 people by Legal & General.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/aug/01/more-than-one-i…
# International, Utilities water energy internet, Families, Housing market.‘Worse before it gets better’: Sydney, Melbourne house price plunge likely to accelerate
Dominic Powell The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Housing prices in some of Melbourne and Sydney’s most affluent suburbs have dropped almost 10 per cent in the past three months, with economists predicting the falls could accelerate as interest rates continue to rise.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/investing/worse-before-it-gets-bett…
# Australia, Housing market.NSW minister Eleni Petinos sacked by Premier Dominic Perrottet after anonymous complaint by staffer
Ashleigh Raper ABC (No paywall)The New South Wales Minister for Small Business and Fair Trading, Eleni Petinos, has been sacked, plunging the state government further into crisis. The Premier has dumped the Miranda MP from state cabinet, a day after returning from an overseas trade trip. On Friday, it was revealed an anonymous complaint had been made by a staffer from Ms Petinos' office, reportedly alleging bullying. Ms Petinos denied any wrongdoing, releasing a statement saying "I reject any allegations of improper conduct".
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-31/minister-eleni-petinos-sa…
# NSW, NSW Fair Trading, State Government.Sydney news: Saudi sisters' Canterbury apartment for rent, with prospective tenants told of deaths
ABC (No paywall)The Sydney apartment where two Saudi sisters were mysteriously found dead has gone back on the rental market, with a disclaimer from the real estate agent.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-03/saudi-sisters-apartment-f…
# NSW, Rent, Landlords and agents.Shades of grey: a Danish restoration brings a dull home to life
Nell Card The Guardian (No paywall)Two families joined forces to open up a large apartment near Copenhagen
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/jul/31/shades-of-g…
# International, Share houses.Opposition and Government at loggerheads over public housing spend; Berry says 'do your homework'
Lottie Twyford (No paywall)Minister for Housing and Suburban Development Yvette Berry has lashed out at the Opposition who claimed earlier this week the ACT Government had underspent on public housing by more than $600 million over five years, telling them to do their homework on the subject. According to Canberra Liberals Leader Elizabeth Lee and the party’s spokesperson for housing Mark Parton, the bulk of the public housing funding promised in successive Territory Budgets between 2015 to 2018 was not delivered in the promised timeframe. Their figures say the government spent only $81 million when its three successive budgets promised almost $700 million. But the government has hit back hard at that assertion. (Riotact)
https://the-riotact.com/opposition-and-government-at-loggerheads…
# Australia, Public and community housing, State Government.More building companies to 'topple over', as display home giant Metricon sheds staff to survive
Emilia Terzon ABC (No paywall)One of the nation's most prominent builders is set to shed almost a tenth of its workforce, as concerns mount about Australia's construction industry. Metricon was forced to defend itself against insolvency rumours just a few months ago. The company has now told its roughly 2,500-person workforce that it is restructuring. The move will impact 9 per cent of its workforce. That works out to more than 200 jobs. Most of the roles that will go are not in building or construction itself, but in front-of-house jobs like sales and marketing.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-02/metricon-job-losses-const…
# Australia, Housing market.