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
First home buyer boom masks a much bigger problem
Clancy Yeates The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)... the unfolding property bonanza is only likely to worsen housing inequality between the generations. The reality is the Great Australian Dream of home ownership has been slipping out of reach from more and more younger people in recent decades. It’s hard to see the recent bounce in first home buyers as much more than a blip.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/first-home-buyer-boo…
# Australia, Federal Government, Home ownership, Housing market, Young people.How about light, air and simplicity? Victoria’s social housing project delivers density and delight
Duncan Murphy The Fifth Estate (No paywall)The Victorian government is forging ahead with its 5.3 billion Australian dollar Big Housing Build initiative, having last week revealed the winners of the Future Homes design competition. ... Melbourne-based firm LIAN, will be the first to see its design brought to life ... LIAN’s proposal, titled Freespace, attempts to inject the advantages of a single family home into higher density residencies through innovative use of public and private space.
https://thefifthestate.com.au/innovation/residential-2/how-about…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Housing market.Woodworker John shares joy of books
(No paywall)Woodworker John Murray [and Link Housing tenant] started building street libraries when a friend asked him to build her one to help recirculate book for others to enjoy. (The Senior NSW/ACT April 2021, p 8)
https://digital-print-edition.austcommunitymedia.com.au/SNRNSW/2…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Neighbours.Can current rates of housing development be sustained?
Andrew Hedge (No paywall)Based on what we know of population change in the next few years, demand for dwellings is likely to slow considerably. However, many fringe areas of Australia are seeing significant sales and construction of residential lots. ... One of the key demographic drivers of growth in these areas in recent years has been overseas migrants. We’ve seen the short-term impacts. In the short term, the demand for dwellings driven by overseas migration shows up in the inner cities. We’ve already seen a significant increase in the vacancy rate in inner-city areas. [Read on ...] (.id insight, Apriol 2021)
https://blog.id.com.au/2021/population-forecasting/can-current-r…
# Australia, Rent, Housing market.‘Last kick of the can’: Property market reckoning coming
Shane Wright The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)he Reserve Bank’s charter requires it to work towards the economic prosperity and welfare of all Australians, but for most people that can be narrowed down to one issue – house prices. ... Commonwealth Bank’s head of Australian economics, Gareth Aird, says ... “Every time the central bank cuts interest rates, a person walks into a bank and asks for a bigger loan to pay for a house. It happens again and again,” he says. “You get to that point where you can’t keep doing that when you have interest rates at zero. We’ve now had the last of the kicks of the can down the road.”
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/last-kick-of-the-can-pro…
# Hot topic Australia, Home ownership, Housing affordability, Housing market.How to reduce the effects of natural disasters rather than just clean up after them
Sue Williams Domain (Paywall)Natural disasters are not new in this sunburnt country, our land of drought and flooding rains. The difference between now and 1906 when Dorothea Mackellar wrote My Country is that these days the disasters are more regular, have more ferocity and, with climate change, the outlook is even more dire. ... We’ve become extraordinarily good at mopping up after floods, bushfires, cyclones, storm surges and being smashed by hailstones. But, the bad news is that we’ve paid little attention to mitigating devastation.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/how-can-we-precent-rather-than-ju…
# Australia, Housing market.COVID-19 Research Hub
AHURI (No paywall)AHURI's COVID-19 Research Hub is the home for the latest research, policy analysis and news on housing, homelessness and urban responses to COVID-19. Check it out.
https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/covid-19?utm_source=website&ut…
# Research alert Australia, Public and community housing, Rent, Affordable housing, Coronavirus COVID-19, Home ownership, Homelessness, Planning and development.Commercial tenants and landlords at a ‘stalemate’ after rent relief measures end
Allison Worrall (Paywall)There is an air of uncertainty as commercial landlords and tenants enter into lease agreements and negotiations as stimulus measures and rental relief efforts introduced last year are wound up across the country. ... Rental relief agreements between landlords and tenants have now ended in all states except Queensland, where the relief period was extended to April 30. The changes coincide with the end of the federal government’s JobKeeper payments to COVID-affected businesses, raising concerns it could spell a wave of distressed selling.
https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/news/commercial-tenants-…
# Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.