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
Albanese promises $10 billion fund to cut housing costs for workers
David Crowe The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Labor has promised a $10 billion fund to cut housing costs for workers in a response to the federal budget that seeks to galvanise voter concerns about soaring house prices and rising rents. ... The housing policy aims to use $10 billion in government bonds to put cash in a new Housing Australia Future Fund to be managed by the existing Future Fund, with the earnings spent on affordable housing. The policy assumes it could invest in 20,000 social housing properties in its first five years as well as 10,000 affordable housing properties for frontline workers.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/albanese-promises-10-bil…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Rent, Affordable housing, Housing market.Property analysts don’t see budget’s home deposit schemes doing single mums any favours
John Kidman The New Daily (No paywall)The federal government insists the housing provisions in its latest budget will finally make the Australian dream more accessible, especially for single mums, but not everyone is convinced.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2021/05/16/low-home-…
# Australia, Families, Federal Government, Home ownership, Housing market, Women.‘Didn’t expect any miracles’: Maguire friend’s rezoning win despite MP’s failed lobbying
Angus Thompson The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)A property developer for whom Daryl Maguire lucklessly lobbied to rezone buildings near Campsie station will end up with the tallest towers in the area regardless under a council plan to reshape the precinct.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/didn-t-expect-any-miracles-m…
# NSW, Local Government, Planning and development.First-home buyers are big budget winners
John Collett The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Help for first-home buyers and single parents to own a home and continuation of an income tax break for low and middle income workers are among key measures that will put more cash in the pockets of Australians following the 2021-22 federal budget.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/planning-and-budgeting/first-home-b…
# Australia, Federal Government, Home ownership, Housing market.May 2021 News
Shelter NSW (No paywall)In this month's edition:
‘Reimagining’ the Waterloo planning approach. Yes please.
The Federal Budget – throwing fuel onto the fire
Defending public housing
Severe Overcrowding project – being led by the data and the people
Shelter NSW's response to the 'Design and Place SEPP' (Explanation of Intended Effect)
Shelter NSW submission on the draft Bays West Place Strategy
Shelter NSW submission on the Port Macquarie Draft Regional City Action Plan 2036
Sydney Alliance 'Research Bootcamp'
https://mailchi.mp/shelternsw/shelter-nsw-may-ebulletin?e=91e8d8…
# NSW, Campaigns and law reform.How a volatile rental market could impact some of the most vulnerable in our communities
Pamela Hunter Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)The past 12 months have had a significant impact on many tenants, particularly those who may be at risk of financial hardship or homelessness. VERTO’s Tenants’ Advice and Advocacy Service (TAAS) helps tenants to navigate these challenges every day, and with today’s unprecedented rental market conditions, it’s something we expect to see for some time to come. This volatile market has wreaked havoc in more ways than one, and it can have serious consequences for individuals and communities.
https://www.tenants.org.au/blog/how-volatile-rental-market-could…
# Hot topic NSW, Domestic violence, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness, Housing market, No-grounds evictions, Regional NSW.“Save our homes”: Protesters call on parliament to protect public housing
Allison Hore (No paywall)Residents from a number of threatened public housing communities across Sydney’s inner city came together at Martin Place today to call for their homes to be saved from the wrecking ball. The rally followed last week’s release of the NSW Government’s Housing 2041 Strategy and called for the future of a number of Inner City public housing estates to be secured. ... Speaking at the rally was Emily Valentine, a resident of the Bay Street public housing site in Glebe. “Instead of selling off public housing, the government should be building thousands of new public homes each year, providing many urgently needed jobs at the same time,” she said. “Sydney is in the middle of a housing and homelessness crisis. But instead of addressing the causes and effects of this crisis, the government is making it worse by selling off public housing properties.” ... Shelter NSW CEO John Engler says he welcomes the government’s decision to explore new housing models to meet the growing need, but says it should not come at the expense of existing public housing residents. “We all agree there should be more, not less, public housing and it should be delivered in a way that protects existing residents and their communities. Both are possible and preferred,” he said. (City Hub)
https://cityhubsydney.com.au/2021/05/save-our-homes-protesters-c…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, Campaigns and law reform, Estate renewal, Housing market, State Government.Generation Rent: Renting forever doesn't mean failing
Emily Hutchinson (No paywall)In a new series called Generation Rent, realestate.com.au rent specialist Emily Hutchinson debunks some of the common myths associated with renting. (real.estate.com.au) ... CEO of Tenants Union NSW Leo Patterson Ross said governments put pressure on Australians to purchase property, reinforcing a sense if failure if they do not. “People feel pressure to buy property because of two key reasons: firstly, Australia chooses to maintain unstable, unfair tenancy laws that prevent renters from feeling the same sense of being settled and secure; secondly, we have set up a system that transfers wealth from the community to the property owner” ... [Read on ...] (realestate.com.au)
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/generation-rent-renting-forev…
# TUNSW in the media Australia, Rent, Home ownership, Housing market, Young people.