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
Australia’s property lobby would have us believe investors are selfless public servants. It’s just profiteering
Maiy Azize The Guardian (No paywall)You might have noticed that the property lobby is having a meltdown. You can almost set your watch to it. The moment anyone suggests winding back investor tax breaks, the same talking points come flooding out. Rents will skyrocket. Investors will flee. The market will collapse. Renters will suffer. There’s just one problem: renters are already suffering under the exact system the property lobby is defending. If these tax breaks are supposed to keep rents low, renters across Australia would probably like a word.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/26/australias…
# Must read, Hot topic Australia, .'Daniel' is a fake AI real estate agent who is trying to sell units to strangers
Ellen Fanning and Kenji Sato ABC (No paywall)When 612 ABC presenter Ellen Fanning received a phone call from "Daniel", she sensed something was amiss. Daniel introduced himself as a Colliers real estate agent who was reaching out to prospective buyers of a new Gold Coast apartment tower. "Are you a person, Daniel?" Ellen asked. "I'm actually an AI system designed to help you with your inquiry about Bilinga House," Daniel replied. "So how many bedrooms were you looking for?"
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-02/real-estate-agency-spams-…
# Australia, Privacy and access.Can Social and Affordable Housing Fix a Broken Market?
ABC (No paywall)Australia’s housing crisis is often framed as a supply problem — but what if it’s really about the type of housing we build, and who it’s for? Housing expert Professor Hal Pawson explains how scaling up social and affordable housing could reshape the entire housing system.
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/the-radio-national-hour/c…
# Audio Australia, Public and community housing.‘Pathetic’: Brutal problem budget failed to fix, as Aussies face 80-person queues for rentals
Harrison Christian news.com.au (No paywall)It’s an all too common sight in the nation’s capital cities. Long lines of Aussies spending their Saturday morning queuing around the block to inspect a property that they have little chance of securing. And it’s a phenomenon that hasn’t gone away since the release of the federal budget last month. This reporter saw around 30 people lining up for a two-bedroom rental in Sydney’s inner west last weekend, with demoralised renters turning away when they saw the size of the crowd. Video shared to social media late last month told a similar story in Perth, with about 80 people queuing for an inspection in the northern suburbs.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/renting/pathetic-bru…
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media Australia, Starting a tenancy.New cost-of-living relief for Aussie renters spreading 'across the country'
Belinda Grant-Geary and Joe Attanasio Yahoo News (No paywall)Rental advocates are praising a landmark decision that's set to see tenants a step closer to avoiding the "dreaded double bond payment" in one state. But they say there's more work to be done to strengthen fairness nationwide. The South Australian government this week committed $7 million over four years to establish a Portable Rental Bonds Scheme, allowing tenants to transfer an existing bond directly to a new rental property. The reform is designed to tackle one of the biggest financial hurdles renters face when moving house — having to pay a new bond upfront while waiting weeks for their previous bond to be returned.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/new-cost-of-living-relief-for-aussie-r…
# TUNSW in the media Australia, Bond.Is Albo using his sinister communist tax changes to destroy the housing market?
First Dog on the Moon The Guardian (No paywall)Decent hard-earning landlords are weeping into their Fabergé egg cups - Cartoon by First Dog on the Moon.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2026/jun/01/is…
# Satire Australia, .State defies inquiry over secrecy of $12 billion public tower knock-down plan
Rachael Dexter The Age (Paywall)Redeveloping the state’s public housing towers will cost at least $12 billion, it has been revealed, as the government digs its heels in over a refusal to hand over 146 secret cabinet documents backing the project. In its official response to a parliamentary inquiry into the high-rise plan, tabled on Tuesday, the government confirmed it will push ahead with plans to systematically raze all 44 of Melbourne’s inner-city public housing towers by 2051 – flatly rejecting the inquiry’s recommendation to immediately halt its controversial 25-year demolition program until it brandishes the feasibility plans for it.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/state-defies-inquiry…
# Australia, Public and community housing.Caravanner evicted from park after 33 years amid growing trend: 'No financial value'
Preston Potts Yahoo News (No paywall)As caravan parks surge in popularity across Australia, many are undergoing significant transformations. However, it's starting to create friction between those who call caravan parks home and park owners. John Redenbach was a regular visitor to Providence Park, in the NSW Snowy Mountains, for over three decades, until he was recently told he was losing access to his caravan and annex, stored at the holiday park. He claims that over the years, he'd spent about $20,000 on extensions and renovations to the holiday home. John paid a $950 fee every three months to have his holiday van at the park for 33 years.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/caravanner-evicted-from-park-after-33-…
# Australia, Eviction, Land lease communities.