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
Senator speaks up for Mount Isa families in limbo as forced house auctions loom
Tim Little and Zara Margolis ABC (No paywall)Victorian senator Lidia Thorpe has joined a fight to stop Indigenous homes in a Queensland mining town from being auctioned, which threatens affected families becoming homeless. Earlier this year, Mount Isa City Council moved to auction 25 properties owned by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Welfare Services (ATSICFWS) after the organisation accrued almost $1 million in unpaid rates.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-03/outback-families-in-limbo…
# Australia, Aboriginal renters.Housing inequity in Australia 'must focus beyond age'
Ahmed Yussuf and Zena Chamas ABC (No paywall)The federal government must consider age and wealth together to meaningfully address the growing wealth divide between generations, says The Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS). It comes after a Senate inquiry into intergenerational housing in Australia. ACOSS said older households held the majority of the country's wealth. ACOSS said people under 35 hold just 7 per cent of the country's wealth. But the wealthiest 10 per cent of households own 25 times as much as the lowest 60 per cent on average.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-08/housing-inequity-in-austr…
# Australia, .Support 'desperately needed' for Aboriginal-led housing solutions as new data shows social housing failing to keep pace in WA
Giovanni Torre National Indigenous Times (No paywall)New Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data shows that despite cost-of-living pressures and the state's burgeoning housing crisis, the proportion of social housing households in WA has fallen from 4.4 per cent in 2014 to 3.8 per cent last year. The Housing assistance in Australia 2025 report shows that last year WA social housing included just 2687 Indigenous community homes, 7611 community housing and 33,940 public properties. In the 2024-2025 financial year, there were 3601 households newly allocated social housing, including 1042 community or state-owned and managed indigenous housing.
https://nit.com.au/23-06-2026/24965/support-desperately-needed-f…
# Australia, Aboriginal renters.Living in a glorified tent: new research shows huge energy gaps between older and newer home
Matthew Daly The Conversation (No paywall)Every winter, millions of Australians are reminded how hard it is to live comfortably in older homes. Warm air constantly leaks out through poorly insulated ceilings, walls and floors, and through gaps in floors, windows and under doors. Heaters run day and night, sending energy bills soaring. The gap between new and old homes is huge. Since 2004, new homes across most of Australia have to meet minimum energy performance standards.
https://theconversation.com/living-in-a-glorified-tent-new-resea…
# Australia, Utilities water energy internet.Nhulunbuy housing provider urged to get back to basics amid post-mining planning crunch
Oliver Chaseling ABC (No paywall)A senior Northern Territory government official has criticised a government-funded remote housing provider for "not doing enough" to support small business owners in a local housing crisis. Rio Tinto is due to shut its bauxite mine near the town of Nhulunbuy, in north-east Arnhem Land, in 2029. The operation has held up the local economy for decades through well-paid mining jobs and the flow of royalties to the region's traditional owners.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-05/nt-government-nhulunbuy-h…
# Australia, .Rents in capital cities rising at fastest pace in two years, report finds
ABC (No paywall)A new report by property website Domain has found rents in Australia's capital cities are rising at their fastest pace in almost two years. Economists have said fewer properties, higher interest rates and strong population growth are to blame.
# Video Australia, Rent.Homeless campers at Wagga Wagga under pressure as deadline to leave site arrives
Jostina Basta and Rachel Holdsworth ABC (No paywall)The deadline for people to vacate a homeless camp near Wagga Wagga's CBD has passed but some rough sleepers say they have nowhere else to go. Wagga Wagga City Council rangers issued compliance action requests at Wilks Park less than two weeks ago. The move-on orders were issued as part of a NSW government emergency response prompted by the death of an infant at a camp on Wagga's riverbank.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-07/wagga-wilks-park-homeless…
# NSW, Eviction.Can tighter rules on short‑stay rentals help the long‑term market?
Caitlin Buckle, Nicole Gurran and Peter Phibbs The Conversation (No paywall)There is a crisis of rental housing across Australia. Areas in major cities and regional Australia alike are facing extremely low rental stock and record high rents. Many cities around the globe have cracked down on platforms such as Airbnb and Stayz to try and deal with the overlap of rental shortages and high numbers of short-term rentals. The aim is to preserve rental supply for locals by restricting short-stay accommodation for tourists to certain areas, limiting the number of nights an unhosted home can be rented, or banning short-term rentals altogether. Australia has been following suit, and the big question is: will it work?
https://theconversation.com/can-tighter-rules-on-short-stay-rent…
# NSW, .