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
Why Housing Affordability Is A Structural Issue
Martin Niorth (No paywall)We discuss my submission to the current Housing Affordability inquiry which the Federal Government is running at the moment. We have been tracking the ranks of inquiries into the housing market and housing affordability over this time-frame and note the considerable duplication of effort from the many inquiries which have been undertaken, but without real change. The issue is clouded by self-interest, misdirection, and short-term political agendas. As a recent report put it “The scale of the housing market in the Australian economy and the diffuse, often disconnected, spread of policy powers that address different aspects of this system make the Parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant a perfect metaphor for our current predicament”. ... Financialisation Is The Problem ... An important report from the Special Rapporteur to the UN Human Rights Council highlights the “financialization of housing” and its impact on human rights. If you want to understand the rise in property investment in Australia, and the problem of housing affordability, read this! Sydney and Melbourne are “Hedge Cities”. You cannot fix housing affordability without addressing the investment class. (Digital Finance Analytics Blog)
https://digitalfinanceanalytics.com/blog/why-housing-affordabili…
# Must read Australia, Rent, Federal Government, Home ownership, Housing affordability, State Government, Tax.The Big Ten Donors: property developers ratchet up their spending on politicians
Callum Foote (No paywall)Despite moves to tackle the toxic influence of property developer donations in NSW and Queensland, the rate of donations made by property developers is increasing, and is increasingly concentrated among a few large players, according to new research from the Centre for Public Integrity (CPI). ... Cameron Murray, an economist at the University of Sydney and author of A Game of Mates, says that property developers are after concessions such as “favourable rezoning decisions and to avoid future taxes on their property portfolios.” According to Murray, all property and construction industry interactions of this sort with the government are conducted with the intention of increasing profits which means to keep property prices as high as possible. ... Moreover, due to the involvement of the council, state and federal government on property decisions “property developers are very politically active at all levels. It’s the smart thing for them to be active at all levels with donations being just one way to get involved” says Murray. (Michael West Media)
https://www.michaelwest.com.au/the-big-ten-donors-property-devel…
# NSW, Federal Government, Housing market, Landlords and agents, Local Government, Planning and development, State Government.International students to return to NSW by the end of the year
Anna Patty and Alexandra Smith The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Hundreds of international students will start returning to NSW by the end of this year, although vaccine restrictions will mean students from key markets in China and Nepal are not likely to be among them. ... NSW universities have discussed quotas based on their 2019 enrolment numbers and all international students will be required to quarantine in purpose-built student accommodation.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/international-students-to-re…
# Australia, Students.NSW off-the-plan apartment buyers soon able to claim on insurance defects arising within first 10 years
Sue Williams Domain (No paywall)Buyers of off-the-plan high-rise apartments in NSW might soon be able to claim on insurance for any defects arising within the first 10 years in a massive game-changer for the apartments sector. Unlike for all other new homes, there’s been no home warranty insurance available for apartment developments over three storeys in height anywhere in Australia for the past 18 years. But now, after the NSW government appointed a building commissioner and gave him unprecedented legal powers to check up on buildings as well as introducing a new digital tool to rate risks on new projects, insurers are now queuing up to offer insurance.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/nsw-off-the-plan-apartment-buyers…
# NSW, Strata, Housing market.‘Put your man pants on’: Building watchdog tells ASIC to do its job
Matt O'Sullivan The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler has launched a blistering attack on the nation’s corporate regulator, telling it to “put your man pants on” and do more to help crack down on misconduct in the construction industry. Mr Chandler took aim at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission due to few signs of progress in its investigation into Ralan Group, two years after administrators raised serious concerns about the circumstances behind the Sydney property developer’s collapse.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/put-your-man-pants-on-buildi…
# NSW, Strata, Housing market.Concerns 57,000 travel permits to inspect real estate pose COVID threat to NSW regions
Miranda Saunders, Bruce Mackenzie, and Leah White ABC (No paywall)Since August 20, Service New South Wales has approved more than 57,000 travel registrations that will allow people from Greater Sydney to go into the regions and look at real estate. ... Byron Shire Mayor Michael Lyon said the figure was "outrageous" and putting regions at risk of COVID-19 outbreaks. ... Northern NSW MPs have joined forces to ask the state to better safeguard the region against a predicted influx of double-vaccinated city visitors.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-24/service-nsw-approves-5700…
# NSW, Privacy and access, Housing market.Caravan park owners 'stunned' by torrent of abuse over vaccination stance
Richard Crabtree ABC (No paywall)The owners of the Curlwaa Caravan Park did not think they were being controversial when they announced they would soon only be accepting patrons fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-23/curlwaa-caravan-park-owns…
# Australia, Land lease communities, Coronavirus COVID-19.Taking tenants along for the zero carbon ride
Duncan Murray The Fifth Estate (No paywall)For all the efforts of the building industry on sustainability and decarbonising assets, the emissions of tenants who actually occupy the buildings generally lie beyond the remit of owners and managers and consequently are getting left out of the equation.
https://thefifthestate.com.au/innovation/facilities-management/t…
# Australia, Rent, Strata, Utilities water energy internet, Climate change.