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
Why Australia's property prices will continue to soar
Ian Verrender ABC (No paywall)Prices in some areas are up by more than a third in the space of a year as cashed up buyers fleeing the cities head for the country with dreams of permanently working from home. Regional prices rose 1.6 per cent in January, more than double that of the main capital cities. Auction clearance rates are hurtling towards a perfect score in some cities.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-15/why-australian-property-p…
# Australia, Federal Government, Housing market.Labor likely to ditch Shorten housing policies but says election platform is not yet set
Amy Remeikis The Guardian (No paywall)Expectations are growing that Labor will ditch the Shorten-era negative gearing and capital gains tax policies before the next federal election, although the shadow cabinet is pushing back against pressure to finalise its economic platform early. The shadow treasurer, Jim Chalmers, failed to endorse the previous housing affordability policy on Sunday, instead stating the party was still working through its agenda and would not be rushed into making decisions.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/feb/14/labor-lik…
# Must read Australia, Housing affordability, Housing market, Landlords and agents, Tax.Transparent wood is coming, and it could make an energy-efficient alternative to glass
Steve Eichhorn The Conversation (No paywall)Wood is an ancient material humans have been using for millions of years, for the construction of housing, ships and as a source of fuel for burning. ... In recent years, materials scientists have been experimenting with making wood transparent. Making wood see-through, and retaining its high mechanical properties, would provide a good alternative to glass from a sustainable and renewable source.
https://theconversation.com/transparent-wood-is-coming-and-it-co…
# International, Utilities water energy internet.Peterborough residents oppose plan for tiny house development on Great Ocean Road
Matt Neal ABC (No paywall)A proposal to build an accommodation park made up of tiny houses near a Victorian estuary has angered a group of residents in the Great Ocean Road town of Peterborough.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-11/tiny-house-plan-not-welco…
# Australia, Local Government, Short-term holiday letting.Demolish Packer’s Pecker and reclaim the park it was meant to be
Elizabeth Farrelly The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Annul the licence, rescind the lease, fill the Pecker with public housing, call it Packer’s Penance. Packer’s Droop. Or maybe, simply, Sirius II. There’s justice in that, as reversals go. Better still, demolish. Tell them we’ll have our park back. Reckon that sounds fair.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/demolish-packer-s-pecker-and…
# NSW, Public and community housing, State Government.Housing surge is great news for asset owners while the rest are left behind
Bernard Keane and Glenn Dyer (Paywall)One of the few economic positives expected to emerge from the pandemic in 2020 was a fall in house prices, with banks forecasting a 10% decline in prices as lockdowns began, with gloomy scenarios bandied about of a 30% decline. Coupled with interest rates cut to the bare minimum, this would have represented a significant boost to housing affordability in Australia. But ... Australia's already poor housing affordability is set to worsen as property prices take off again — and asset owners and higher-income earners reap the benefits.
https://www.crikey.com.au/2021/02/11/housing-surge-is-great-news…
# Australia, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing affordability, Housing market.Where residential landlords aren’t allowed to increase rents
Amelia Barnes Domain (Paywall)Are you a Victorian, West Australian, South Australian or Tasmanian residential tenant whose rent has increased over the pandemic? If you answered yes, you’ve likely been overpaying.
https://www.domain.com.au/advice/where-residential-landlords-are…
# Hot topic Australia, Rent.‘Neglected’: Storm looms for renters as eviction protections near end
Matthew Elmas The New Daily (No paywall)The end of March is pivotal for renters – and not in a good way. Eviction and rent protections in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia will all expire.
Federal income support through JobKeeper and JobSeeker supplements will evaporate. And bankruptcy pauses protecting some landlords will disappear in a puff of smoke — all in a single week. It all boils down to a multibillion-dollar hit to the pockets of financially distressed renters, which advocates warn could see tens of thousands evicted or unable to pay for basics like food and power.
https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/property/2021/02/08/pandemic-…
# Must read, Hot topic, TUNSW in the media Australia, Eviction, Rent, Coronavirus COVID-19.