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
What do the federal budget’s housing measures do for Australia’s ‘forever renters’?
Catie McLeod The Guardian (No paywall)A couple of months ago, Alyssa Shaw moved from Melbourne’s south to its north-west. It was her 25th move in 15 years. “I’ve been working since I was 14 [and] it’s really disappointing that I’ve contributed a lot and I don’t have the stability my parents had and that I thought would have by this age,” the 36-year-old says. “I started renting at about 21. I stopped counting a little while ago but … I did the calculation once and it was averaging [moving house] every nine months.” Shaw says the Albanese government’s changes to property tax concessions are “meaningful” for some, but they won’t help renters like her who aren’t anywhere near being able to afford to buy a home.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/may/15/what-do-t…
# Australia, Rent.Not homeless, not homeowners: what does the budget mean for Australia’s squeezed renters?
Ehsan Noroozinejad The Conversation (No paywall)There is a large group in Australia’s housing crisis that often gets less attention. They are not homeless. They are not homeowners. They are renters in the middle. They may be working full-time, studying, raising children, caring for parents or saving for a deposit. They may not qualify for social housing or major government support. But they are still under serious pressure. For them, renting is not a short stop before buying a home. It is a long-term reality. That is why the new federal budget matters.
https://theconversation.com/not-homeless-not-homeowners-what-doe…
# Australia, .Landlords pay almost $7 billion a year more in tax than home owners, pushing rents higher
Chris Murphy The Conversation (No paywall)In Tuesday’s federal budget, the government is widely expected to bring in changes to how investment properties are taxed, including negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount. Ever since the Albanese government’s re-election, there have been growing calls to tax landlords more. In March, a Senate committee report on the capital gains tax discount concluded: "there is evidence that the concessions provided by the capital gains tax discount, in combination with negative gearing, have skewed the ownership of housing away from owner-occupiers and towards investors."
https://theconversation.com/landlords-pay-almost-7billion-a-year…
# Must read Australia, .No stoves, no cooking: Company fined $1.5m over ‘unconscionable’ breaches affecting aged tenants
Alexander Darling The Age (Paywall)Authorities have taken action against a company that failed to install cooktops at some of its Victorian rentals and prohibited elderly residents from cooking at home. Ingenia Gardens will pay $1.5 million – split between Consumer Affairs Victoria, affected renters and the advocacy body that raised the alarm – and install two-burner cooktops in units that didn’t have them. Housing for the Aged Action Group executive officer Fiona York said the group became aware of issues at Ingenia’s rental facilities after reports food packages being offered to residents were inadequate.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/no-stoves-no-cooking…
# Australia, Utilities water energy internet.Landlords hit with more than $50k in fines since NSW government's ban on no-grounds evictions
Nick Dole ABC (No paywall)Dozens of NSW landlords have been caught re-letting their homes after evicting tenants for supposedly 'genuine' reasons, which later turned out to be false. One Campsie real estate agent in Sydney's south-west was fined $35,000 for evicting a tenant on the grounds that the landlord's relative wanted to move into the property. No such family member ever turned up and the home was re-advertised the day after the tenant was evicted.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-14/nsw-landlords-fined-50k-s…
# Must read NSW, Eviction, Rent.Housing minister says Waterloo community 'not functional' as demolition looms for public housing estate
Declan Bowring ABC (No paywall)NSW Housing Minister Rose Jackson says communities like public housing in Waterloo in inner Sydney are not "functional communities" as workers began fencing off the first lot of homes to be demolished and redeveloped. A block of around 150 homes in Waterloo's south will be demolished by the end of June to make way for a mix of private, affordable and social housing as part of a wider redevelopment of the Waterloo estate.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-25/waterloo-public-housing-e…
# Hot topic NSW, Eviction, Public and community housing.Construction underway on seniors public housing in Sydney's south-west, despite local opposition
Isabella Ross ABC (No paywall)New public housing units built specifically for seniors are under construction in Sydney's south-west despite pushback from residents and a petition passed on by the electorate's MP. Multiple projects have been approved in Riverwood for seniors' public housing, including a 29-unit complex on Hardwicke Street and a 16-unit complex on Munmurra Road. The Munmurra Road project is expected to be ready for residents to move in by August this year. Seniors housing has to be purpose-designed for people aged 55 and over, with considerations of accessibility for those with restricted mobility and proximity to transport and services.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-13/public-housing-for-senior…
# NSW, Public and community housing.Rewiring Australia campaign for renters to be included in electrical future
Justin Huntsdale ABC (No paywall)At Robin Sands's rental property, he only has to buy about half his electricity from the grid. Despite not owning the unit in Wollongong, he has done just about everything possible to lower his energy bills. With his landlord's permission, he has mounted two portable solar panels on his roof to power his kitchen appliances during the day, as well as charge two lithium batteries that take over when the sun sets. "The two panels on a good sunny day can get up to 4 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of charging, but I regularly need about 2kWh a day to run those appliances and my general consumption is about 6kWh a day," he said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-17/energy-efficiency-standar…
# NSW, Rent, Utilities water energy internet.