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
Tenants' Union Annual Report 2021-22
TUNSW (No paywall)The 2021-2022 financial year began with Sydney under a strict four-month lockdown to curb an outbreak of the delta coronavirus variant and finished with severe weather, flooding, and a deepening housing crisis across NSW.
Through these challenging times, the Tenants' Union has maintained our resilience and deep commitment to supporting NSW renters. Whether it's through online resources, advocacy or supporting the advice provided by the network of Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services, the Tenants' Union works with and for renters, for housing justice.
Almost 1 million affordable homes needed by 2041 for most at risk
Shane Wright and Rachel Clun The Sydney Morning Herald (No paywall)Almost 1 million households, many in Sydney and Melbourne, face housing stress or living in unsuitable accommodation over the next two decades unless there is a ramp-up in community housing.
Ahead of the federal government’s first meeting of financial leaders to discuss its Housing Accord, research to be released on Tuesday shows demand for proper housing aimed at low-income earners will climb more than 50 per cent by 2041 in many parts of the country.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/almost-1-million-afforda…
# Research alert NSW, Public and community housing, Housing affordability, Sydney.A Major Government Housing Policy Will Only Deliver 184 New Affordable Homes, Analysis Finds
John Buckley Vice (No paywall)Only 2 percent of the 1 million homes being promised by the Housing Accord will be affordable. All of them are in Greater Darwin.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/88q7ap/a-major-government-housin…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, Housing affordability.Do tenancy reforms to protect renters cause landlords to exit the market? No, but maybe they should
Chris Martin, Milad Ghasri, Sharon Parkinson, Zoe Goodall The Conversation (No paywall)More Australians are renting their housing longer than in the past. But they have relatively little legal security against rent increases and evictions compared to tenants in other countries. When state governments suggest stronger protections for tenants, landlords and real estate agents claim it will cause disinvestment from the sector, increasing pressure on already tight rental markets.
https://theconversation.com/do-tenancy-reforms-to-protect-renter…
# Must read, Research alert Australia, Campaigns and law reform, Landlords and agents, No-grounds evictions, State Government.Rental repression
Nick Sas ABC (No paywall)The rental squeeze is tightening across the country and more and more Australians are trapped. So, how bad is it out there?
Maddy Parsons never thought it’d turn out this way.
For almost 15 years she’s been a renter, jumping from share house to share house, moving, she reckons, “about 13 times”.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-29/australia-rental-crisis-h…
# TUNSW in the media, Research alert Australia, Rent, Affordable housing, Housing affordability.Shane Rattenbury to introduce legislation on rental laws to ban no-cause evictions
Lucy Bladen Canberra Times (Paywall)The ACT government has moved ahead with laws to ban no-cause evictions after Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury introduced legislation on Wednesday.
Original media release: https://greens.org.au/act/news/media-release/ending-no-cause-evictions-act
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8001094/act-govt-introduc…
# Legal significance Australia, Eviction, Campaigns and law reform, No-grounds evictions.Doors are slamming shut on SA renters and their rights
Alice Clark InDaily (No paywall)Renters are being increasingly evicted for no cause while rents, bidding and bond values are on the rise. Shelter SA’s Alice Clark outlines the human impact of a housing crisis.
The number of people renting is on the rise and the review of the Residential Tenancies Act underway in South Australia is very timely.
But I wonder if it will make a real difference? Let’s be clear: changes to the law won’t impact the most pressing issues that are hurting renters right now – the lack of affordability in the market, skyrocketing rents and the scarcity of available properties.
https://indaily.com.au/opinion/2022/11/24/doors-are-slamming-shu…
# Australia, Bond, Campaigns and law reform, No-grounds evictions.Federal Labor removes gag on legal aid centres that banned political advocacy
Paul Karp The Guardian (No paywall)The Labor government has removed the Coalition’s gag on legal aid organisations taking part in political advocacy and lobbying, saying it “is ending this political censorship”.
On Tuesday the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, announced the gag on community legal centres receiving federal funding had been removed from the deal with states and territories regulating legal aid, as part of Labor’s broader commitment to allow social, legal and environmental charities to lobby government.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/29/federal-l…
# Legal significance Australia, Campaigns and law reform, Community Legal Centres, Federal Government, Strong communities.