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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See notes about the Digest and a list of other contributors here. Many thanks to those contributors for sharing links with us.
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Archive
Young people lining up for COVID-19 vaccine in Illawarra
Zoe Cartright (No paywall)As the premier urges more older Australians to take up the COVID vaccine, some of our region's youngest adults have stepped up to protect themselves and their community. ... Southern Youth and Family Services CEO Narelle Clay said she was immensely proud of the 38 young people who took part in the clinic. ... "Those who are homeless, have experienced domestic violence or have mental health issues, we were really concerned they weren't being seen as a priority group. It's a positive step back toward a normal life for these young people, and we're grateful to Area Health for offering the clinics."
https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/7362895/youth-step-up-…
# NSW, Coronavirus COVID-19, Homelessness, Regional NSW, Young people.Dog owner scraps planned High Court action to keep pet dogs in luxury Gold Coast high-rise
Tom Forbes and Caitlyn Sheehan ABC (No paywall)A Gold Coast dog owner has decided not to fight his body corporate in the High Court in a bid to keep his pet cocker spaniels in his Southport high-rise. In April, the Commission for Body Corporate and Community Management ordered Kerry Hayes to remove his dogs Bolli and Scooby from the Rivage Royale building.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-03/gold-coast-high-rise-dog-…
# Australia, Strata.Woman who won pets in apartments case loses bid to have her building’s strata committee sacked
Sue Williams Domain (No paywall)The woman who won the landmark court case potentially giving thousands of NSW apartment owners the right to keep pets has lost her bid to have the committee of her building sacked. ... Last year’s Court of Appeal ruling changed the attitudes of the owners corporations at a number of Sydney apartment buildings that had similarly refused residents the right to keep pets. Some buildings followed Horizon’s example, scrapping their no-pets bylaws and introducing new rules on animal residents. Owners of apartments in other buildings that banned pets then either bought pets and challenged the strata committees to take them to the tribunal or made applications themselves that the no-pet bylaws were harsh and unconscionable.
https://www.domain.com.au/news/court-case-1077059/?utm_campaign=…
# NSW, Strata, Tribunal NCAT.House prices take a breath as affordability crunch bites
John Collett The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Property price growth is slowing as more people who would like to buy are priced out of the market. If the trend continues, price growth could continue to slide and may even start to fall by 2023.
https://www.smh.com.au/money/investing/house-prices-take-a-breat…
# Australia, Housing affordability, Housing market, Landlords and agents.Former bankrupt chicken killers put aged care business into administration
Cameron Houston and Chris Vedelago The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)An aged care business founded by two bankrupt brothers convicted of shocking animal cruelty has been placed into voluntary administration just days before it was required to return deposits to families of former residents. ... The brothers used aliases, dummy directors and a family trust to conceal their roles with Chronos Care, while also funnelling funds from the business to pay for their mortgages, holidays and luxury cars.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/former-bankrupt-chicken…
# Australia, Housing market, Landlords and agents, Older people.Extra green space – and apartments – approved for Roma Street Parklands
Tony Moore The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The Queensland government has approved extra parkland, as well as four new apartment blocks, for the extension to the 11-hectare Roma Street Parklands. This follows concerns earlier this year, when residents of Roma Street apartments raised concerns about the impact of the $5.4 billion Cross River Rail project on the parklands. Brisbane City Council city planning chair Krista Adams described the outcome as “a victory for residents” after 34,000 people signed an online petition objecting to the state government’s original proposal.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/queensland/extra-green-space-and…
# Australia, Housing market, Local Government, Planning and development, State Government.New inner-city building guide tightened to ease tower fears
Rachel Eddie The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Inner-city councillors have moved to clarify development guidelines that stoked fears of 14-storey apartment blocks towering over some of Melbourne’s best-known shopping strips.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/new-inner-city-building…
# Australia, Housing market, Local Government, Planning and development.Innovative Housing First homelessness strategy faces regional WA housing shortage hurdle
Georgia Loney and Zoe Keenan ABC (No paywall)A long-awaited program that was intended to be a 'game-changer' in tackling homelessness in regional Western Australia is being hampered by an acute shortage of social housing. The $9.4 million program started in Perth and Bunbury in June with the aim of funding caseworkers to provide intensive support to find suitable housing for people without a home. But caseworkers say the current housing crisis and an acute shortage of social housing mean it is proving near impossible in the short term. The Housing First strategy aims to find permanent housing tailored to the specific needs of each person, along with support to tackle social issues including drug and alcohol dependency. Service provider Anglicare said the Housing First program was facing a basic challenge of there not being enough suitable social housing.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-03/housing-first-homelessnes…
# Australia, Public and community housing, Homelessness, State Government.