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 the Australian dollar is rising — and what that's got to do with your mortgage repayments
David Taylor ABC (No paywall)The Australian dollar is on the move, now hovering around 80 US cents. ... The Australian dollar is increasing in value for several reasons, and one of those reasons is also tied to how much you'll be paying on your monthly mortgage repayments — potentially as soon as later this year.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-25/rising-australian-dollar-…
# Australia, Home ownership.'Cliff edge looms' for renters when eviction moratorium, JobKeeper end in March
Matilda Marozzi ABC (No paywall)A group of performers who made headlines by dancing to 1980s hits in their front yard during lockdown are set to be ousted from their Melbourne share house. Their removal could mark the beginning of a wave of evictions when JobKeeper and the Victorian eviction moratorium wind-up on March 28.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-19/brunswick-performers-set-…
# Hot topic, Video Australia, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.Mould in rental homes under the spotlight as family claims health problems from mouldy house
Claire Moodie ABC (No paywall)For most people, household mould is a minor inconvenience — stubbornly appearing in the grout of the bathroom tiles from time to time. But, Sudha Narthakumar and her family say that exposure to mould has brought chronic health problems and mounting bills, including one quote to remediate their furniture and other belongings at a cost of almost $29,000. ... Ms Narthakumar says the saga started when the family rented a 3 x 2 in an affluent Perth riverside suburb in 2018 ...
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-20/call-for-landlords-to-tel…
# Australia, Rent, Health, Mould.Shelter NSW February 2021 e-bulletin
(No paywall)It's been a busy month at Shelter NSW - everything from supporting the grassroots public housing campaign in Eveleigh, through to commenting on important NSW Government policies, frameworks and budget plans. Read on for more details ...
https://mailchi.mp/shelternsw/shelter-nsw-february-2021-ebulleti…
# Must read NSW, Public and community housing, Rent, Campaigns and law reform, Coronavirus COVID-19, Estate renewal, Homelessness, Planning and development, State Government.Home Matters: A little town taking on a big issue
Housing Matters Action Group (No paywall)From Bellingen in NSW ... ‘Home Matters’ follows the members of the housing action group since its inception in 2017 when local community members and organisations decided they needed to step up and address increasing housing stress. The film captures the Action Group’s journey to date, as its members work on several innovative housing projects and inform the development of the Bellingen Shire Council Local Housing Strategy 2020-2040. ‘Home Matters’ reminds audiences that by working together we can create positive change and that everyone needs a safe, secure and affordable home. (Reported in Bellingen Shire Courier-Sun.) You will find a link to the film at: [https://www.housingmatters.org.au/]
https://www.bellingencourier.com.au/story/7038185/the-little-tow…
# Video NSW, Affordable housing, Older people, Regional NSW, Women.How Chinese courtyard housing can help older Australian women avoid homelessness
Samantha Donnelly and Hugo Chan The Conversation (No paywall)Australia urgently needs housing types that meet the needs of older women facing homelessness. One such model is Chinese siheyuan courtyard housing, which provides safe, affordable and private living spaces while maintaining a sense of community. It has potential for adapting existing buildings for re-use in Australia in a way that makes financial, social and environmental sense.
https://theconversation.com/how-chinese-courtyard-housing-can-he…
# Must read Australia, Affordable housing, Homelessness, Older people, Women.Tasmanians face sudden rent hikes as COVID-19 protections expire
Alexandra Humphries ABC (No paywall)Tasmanian residential tenants have been hit with rent hikes of up to $100 a week, with a wave of increases following the end of COVID-19 rental protections.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-19/tasmanian-tenants-rent-hi…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.The almost homeless
Therese Hall (Paywall)Fifty-five year old Marg is part of a growing cohort of single women over fifty who encounter housing instability for the first time late in life. They are women who held jobs and cared for children and sometimes parents; most had married or partnered. They had rented - and often owned - a home. However, after a life time of gender-based discrimination, events such as a health problem, a relationship breakdown or loss of a job can lead to the brink of homelessness. Read 'Single older women with no place to call home' in Griffith Review 68 2020 Getting On, pp215-2230
# Australia, Discrimination, Homelessness, Housing affordability, Older people, Personal stories, Women.