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
Better solution to housing crisis
Theodore Brown Coast Community News (No paywall)As our housing crisis deepens, and our high-rise apartment buildings keep falling down, I wonder if there is a better solution than what we’ve chosen. The 2021 Census found that 61% of all Central Coast households have two or less people, including 27% that have only one person. Also, 60% of households don’t have any children. So it’s ridiculous that most new housing is detached houses with three-plus bedrooms, justified by needing space to raise children, when this meets the needs of well under half our population. But on the flipside, the quality of high-rise apartments is dismal.
https://coastcommunitynews.com.au/central-coast/news/2026/03/bet…
# Hot topic NSW, .Research Study Invitation: 'Lodging Houses: a framework for coherent policy and practice'
Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)Researchers from UNSW Sydney, the University of Sydney, Swinburne University of Technology and Curtin University are conducting a research study about lodging houses. Lodging houses (including boarding houses, co-living and other forms of shared accomodation) can contribute to affordability, accessibility and support delivery, but they also come with risks. If you live in a lodging house (as defined above), or have previously lived in a lodging house, you are invited to participate in an interview for the research study. Interviews are expected to take about 45 minutes. Participation is confidential, and participants will receive a $50 shopping voucher to acknowledge their contribution to the research study.
https://www.tenants.org.au/news/research-study-invitation-lodgin…
# Must read NSW, Boarders and lodgers.https://thefifthestate.com.au/columns/spinifex/what-negative-gearing-and-capital-gains-tax-do-heres-the-data-heres-the-evidence/
Alan Morris The Fifth Estate (No paywall)It is evident that the federal government is concerned about the substantial and increasing inequity in the housing market and appears to be contemplating changes to the extremely generous tax benefits that accrue to investors in residential property. Clearly, something needs to be done. The phenomenal scale of the present tax incentives around property is indicated by the revenue forgone. In 2024-2025, the estimated revenue forgone by the federal government due to negative gearing was $6.5 billion, and $5.490 billion was lost to the capital gains tax discount, $11.990 billion in total.
https://thefifthestate.com.au/columns/spinifex/what-negative-gea…
# Hot topic Australia, .Pressure mounts for mandatory disclosure of home energy efficiency ratings
Joshua S Hill Renew Economy (No paywall)The Royal Automobile Association (RAA) is calling on the South Australia government to mandate the disclosure of energy efficiency ratings for all homes at the point of sale or lease, to give buyers and renters an idea of what their cooling and heating bills might look like. According to the RAA, 70 per cent of South Australia’s housing stock was built before minimum energy efficiency standards were introduced, back in 2003. At the time, the standards required new houses to be built with a rating equivalent to between 3.5 and 4 stars, depending on the state.
https://reneweconomy.com.au/pressure-mounts-for-mandatory-disclo…
# Australia, Utilities water energy internet.Evictions of homeless campers by City of Moreton Bay violated human rights, Supreme Court rules
Kenji Sato ABC (No paywall)The City of Moreton Bay council violated the human rights of evicted homeless campers, a Supreme Court has ruled today. The south-east Queensland council fronted court this morning to defend a legal challenge mounted by Basic Rights Queensland on behalf of evicted homeless campers. It comes after the council made all homeless camping illegal in March last year, prompting a series of evictions throughout 2025. Justice Paul Smith ruled the council had made several "errors of law", including disposing of homeless tents and other possessions without their consent.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-06/moreton-bay-homeless-evic…
# Australia, Eviction.'I don't want to be a landlord': Why advocate Sherele Moody is giving away her investment property for a decade
Emily McPherson 9 News (No paywall)Sherele Moody has spent years mapping the darkest corners of Australian society. As the founder of the Red Heart Movement, she has meticulously documented the names and faces of women lost to violence. Now, she is offering a different kind of map: a way out. The veteran campaigner has just completed a $35,000 crowdfunded renovation of her very first home - a one-bedroom Melbourne apartment she purchased last September. But instead of moving in or listing it on the lucrative rental market, she is handing the keys over to victims of family violence for the next decade and renting elsewhere. Moody is calling on every landlord in the country to consider doing the same.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/i-dont-want-to-be-a-landlord-w…
# Hot topic Australia, Domestic violence, Rent.Public housing tenant blocked from own backyard, as disability advocates say accessibility an 'afterthought'
Hayden Smith ABC (No paywall)For two years and four months, Sharryn Johns has felt robbed of her freedom. But when she first moved into her Launceston public housing property in late 2017, the born-and-raised Tasmanian — who requires an electric wheelchair — felt right at home. "I loved it," the 51-year-old said. "I had a massive, big backyard … I could use my wheelchair here." However, her quality of life took a "frustrating" turn for the worse after an "extreme" black mould problem emerged. Alternative accommodation was arranged for Ms Johns while remedial plumbing work took place. But when she finally returned, she found she could no longer access her backyard.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-09/tasmania-public-housing-d…
# Must read Australia, Public and community housing, Rent, Repairs.Margaret River to survey homeless population as housing crisis bites holiday hotspot
Georgia Loney ABC (No paywall)One of Australia's top holiday hotspots has been told it must prove it has a homelessness problem — despite entire families living in tents and caravans. Margaret River, about 270 kilometres south of Perth, has been described as a playground for the wealthy, with multi-million-dollar properties sitting alongside its famous wineries and surf breaks. But the Shire of Augusta Margaret River believes the area's perceived wealth is a barrier to support for a serious housing shortage and homelessness problem.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-10/homeless-survey-margaret-…
# Australia, Public and community housing.