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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Archive
Queensland government to begin social housing rent reviews to free up spaces for those in 'most need'
Jack McKay ABC (No paywall)Social housing recipients in Queensland earning more than they should will soon be evicted from their homes to make way for new tenants. The state government claims there are some recipients earning well above the income limit that determines who is eligible for social housing. This includes a couple in Brisbane taking home more than $200,000 a year while paying less than $200 a week to live in their social housing unit. The government says another family in Townsville is paying less than $190 per week in rent despite earning an annual income of more than $160,000.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-09/queensland-social-housing…
# Hot topic Australia, Public and community housing.Housing Minister Clare O'Neil takes aim at Australia's regulation red tape
Patricia Karvelas ABC (No paywall)It's rare to hear a Labor minister rail against red tape — traditionally the domain of the conservative side of politics — but Housing Minister Clare O'Neil feels the weight of the country's housing crisis on her shoulders. She knows that if Labor isn't able to deliver on its housing promises, a generation of Australians will not only feel let down, they will have a right to feel angry that the system is stacked against them. Anger about housing wasn't a manufactured crisis at the last election — it was real and visceral but ultimately the opposition was never able to turn that anger into votes, particularly among younger voters where feelings on this are so intense.
# Hot topic Australia, .Tenants on high alert in the wake of ‘highly convincing’ rent scam
Jessica Brown realestate.com.au (No paywall)Real estate experts are warning tenants to be cautious of a “highly convincing” rental scam. It comes after one concerned tenant contacted their property manager to question a fake letter that urged them to send future payments to a new bank account following a change in their rental property’s ownership. The letter appeared to come from Turner Real Estate, the agency the tenant was renting through, even having its new logo printed at the top of the page. Turner Real Estate chief executive Emma Slape said the fraudulent letter appeared legitimate but the main giveaway was that it wasn’t addressed to the tenant by name.
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/sa-tenants-on-high-alert-in-t…
# Must read Australia, Security and safety, Starting a tenancy.The housing disaster is a national emergency – good thing Australia is excellent at navigating emergencies
Sarah McKenzie Per Capita (No paywall)The National Housing Supply and Affordability Council’s State of the Housing System 2025 Report, published in May this year, paints a grim picture of the state of Australia’s housing system. It is more than a housing crisis, it has become a full-scale national disaster. It is chronic and worsening, and requires an emergency response. While the scale of the problem is immense, Australia has a strong track record of effectively navigating emergencies, and it is time to bring that mindset to the task of fixing the housing crisis. Framing Australia’s housing disaster as a national emergency does more than describe its scale, it creates the conditions for action. Emergencies cut through bureaucratic inertia, legitimise large-scale interventions, and generate the political will needed to respond at speed and scale. If we treat our nation’s housing problems as an emergency, we can mobilise the same urgency, coordination and investment that Australians expect in times of national disasters.
https://percapita.org.au/the-housing-disaster-is-a-national-emer…
# Hot topic, Research alert Australia, .Landlord's 'unreasonable' request after tenant has a baby: 'It changes things'
Alison and Jillian Barrett Yahoo News (No paywall)In Australia, tenancy agreements are governed by state-specific Residential Tenancies Acts, which outline the rights and responsibilities of both landlords and tenants. Generally, these agreements specify the number of occupants allowed in the rental property. However, the birth of a child is typically not considered a breach of the lease agreement. Tenants are not legally required to inform landlords about changes in their family composition, such as having a baby. The Residential Tenancies Acts in various states do not mandate tenants disclose personal events like pregnancy or childbirth. This means that while the addition of a new family member may change the dynamics of the household, it does not necessarily violate the terms of the lease.
https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/landlords-unreasonable-request…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent, Starting a tenancy.Homelessness: Working in a Broken System
Charlie About Time (No paywall)I support a number of clients – individuals, couples and families – who are experiencing homelessness. Like so many others in this field, I entered this work because I care deeply about people and community. I recognise that many of those I support have been dealt difficult cards, through circumstances entirely beyond their control, that make it far harder to “succeed” in modern society. While the core objective of my role is to help people secure housing, the reality is far more complex. I’m also managing risk, safeguarding and, at times, talking people off the ledge. It’s gut-wrenching to witness people you’ve come to care about, people you’ve built trust and connection with, in profound distress… grappling with suicide, violence, grief and loss.
https://www.abouttime.org.au/experiences/homelessness-working-in…
# Must read Australia, .Couple on $200k living in social housing
Blair Jackson Yahoo News (No paywall)The Queensland government is cracking down on the income of social housing tenants, as figures reveal people earning far above income thresholds are benefiting from subsidised housing. “Labor turned a blind eye for years,” Housing Minister Sam O’Connor said on Monday. “They stopped checking if people still qualified for social housing, and they let rent reviews fall by the wayside. “It’s unbelievable they let people on six-figure incomes stay in social homes for years while others in urgent need were left on the social housing waitlist.” Information released by the state government on Monday showed a small number of notable rorts were being carried out by social housing tenants.
https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/unbelievable-crackdown-housing…
# Hot topic Australia, Public and community housing, Rent.Alan Kohler on making housing a bad investment
ABC (No paywall)Interest rates might be coming down, but house prices are heading in the other direction, once again. Given there is a major problem with housing affordability and there are so many people who can’t even afford to enter the market, who keeps pushing up prices? Today, the ABC’s finance expert Alan Kohler on why history is repeating and conditions are ripe for a housing price surge like that in the early 2000s. He explains why housing really needs to become a bad investment.
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/abc-news-daily/alan-kohle…
# Audio Australia, .