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
Hunters Hill council seeking massive redevelopment of Gladesville Shopping Village
Huw Bradshaw North Shore Lorikeet (No paywall)Gladesville could receive a revamped shopping village, after Hunters Hill Council voted to forward their plans for the new shopping district to the Department of Planning. The proposed plan would see Gladesville Shopping Village demolished and replaced with a new shopping complex, increased open, public space, and two 19-storey residential complexes. If approved, the entire development would cost at least $400 million.
https://www.northshorelorikeet.com.au/p/hunters-hill-council-see…
# Hot topic NSW, .NSW government announces measures to fast-track rental supply in Greater Sydney and beyond
Fiona Willan ABC (No paywall)New measures aimed at increasing the supply of rental homes in NSW and fast-tracking infrastructure in the outer suburbs have been unveiled by the state government. Under the proposed changes, private developers would be allowed to build public infrastructure, such as roads and parks, on their land — with pre-approval from the state. An existing tax cut for the owners of multi-unit properties — primarily used as rental accommodation — would also be extended. The 50 per cent land tax discount on build-to-rent developments would remain in place indefinitely — instead of expiring in 2039 as originally planned.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-19/nsw-budget-to-extend-tax-…
# Hot topic NSW, .Tenants' Union response to NSW Budget 2025-26
Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)The Tenant’s Union recognises the NSW state budget handed down today by the Treasurer which includes a range of items intended to assist with the housing and justice needs of the community. We look to the Budget to set priorities for the state, and strongly recommend to each government that expenditure on preventing issues is more effective than responding to crisis after the fact. We support the calls from colleagues across the community sector for ambitious and forward looking expenditure to support the sector in preventing harm rather than more expensive and limited responses after the system has already failed.
https://www.tenants.org.au/reports/tenants-union-response-nsw-bu…
# Must read, TUNSW in the media NSW, .South Coast rents are half a typical wage earner's pay packet: new report
Saffron Howden South Coast Register (Paywall)A single person on the South Coast earning the national median income of $72,592 could be paying just under half of their take-home pay, or 47 per cent, to rent a unit.
https://www.southcoastregister.com.au/story/8919552/south-coast-…
# Hot topic NSW, Rent.City of Moreton Bay claims homeless people consented to having camps thrown away
Kenji Sato ABC (No paywall)A Queensland council says homeless campers "consented" to having their tents destroyed and possessions thrown into rubbish trucks during the clearing of a park used by rough sleepers. The City of Moreton Bay denied destroying people's property and said it only removed "unwanted items" from camps that had been "abandoned" by their owners. It comes after the council made homeless camping illegal on public land in March, prompting a crackdown on tent cities in April. Former homeless woman Debbie Bobeldyk said she had not left her camp willingly, nor had she consented to the council throwing out her personal belongings.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-09/moreton-bay-says-homeless…
# Must read Australia, Discrimination, Eviction.Homes are more than walls and a roof, especially for Indigenous people. It’s time housing policy reflects that
Giles Gunesekera and Allan Teale The Conversation (No paywall)Australia is experiencing a housing crisis. But for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the challenge runs deeper than high rents and limited supply. A major problem is that housing in Australia is rarely designed with Indigenous communities in mind. In 2021, roughly 13% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households faced unmet housing needs. This equated to around 45,700 low-income Indigenous households lacking suitable accommodation. Overcrowding remains a significant issue, with only 81.4% of Indigenous Australians living in appropriately sized housing in 2021, falling short of the 88% target set for 2031 under Closing The Gap.
https://theconversation.com/homes-are-more-than-walls-and-a-roof…
# Hot topic Australia, Aboriginal renters.Multiple generations squeeze under one roof to combat housing, cost-of-living crisis
Julia André ABC (No paywall)It is hard to find a spare seat at the Sailes's dinner table, with four generations living under one roof. Australia's housing crisis has seen 44-year-old Clint Sailes steadily renovate his home to accommodate more family members. While it might seem unusual, it is a return to the past when double the number of Australians lived in standalone homes. Over the past two years, Mr Sailes has added extra bathrooms and kitchenettes to his Gold Coast hinterland property. The huge double-storey house backs onto bushland and has plenty of outdoor space to keep the peace between his 10 family members.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-09/homes-designed-to-squeeze…
# Australia, .The human right to a decent home
Hon Kevin Bell AO KC Australian Lawyers Alliance ()This special issue of Precedent examines the law in relation to the home. I want to do so from the perspective of international human rights law, and not from the point of view of a particular legal category of the law such as contract or tort, but from the perspective of the housing system as a whole. The purpose and central values of international human rights law are pro hominem, which is to say, ‘for the human person’. Taking that as my starting point, I want to discuss how purposes and values shape, or not, the way that the housing system currently works with respect to people. I argue that the purposes and values of the private market have been dominant in the housing system for decades and are now.
https://www.lawyersalliance.com.au/Web/web/RESOURCES/Precedent-a…
# Research alert Australia, .