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
‘We were not consulted’: Zempilas vents frustration over Labor’s promise to house 100 rough sleepers
Marta Pascual Juanola The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas has critcised the state government over plans to house 100 rough sleepers in an empty hostel in Wellington Street if re-elected, saying the council wasn’t consulted.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/western-australia/we-were-not-co…
# Australia, Homelessness.'Tax retirees’ super to pay for aged care’: ACOSS
Jennifer Duke The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Retirees could face a 15 per cent tax on superannuation earnings to help fund aged-care services under a federal budget proposal from the Australian Council of Social Service, while the long-term unemployed would be put into training or subsidised work experience.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/tax-retirees-super-to-pa…
# Australia, Older people, Tax.Return to Covid tiers 'could plunge millions in England into crisis'
Diane Taylor The Guardian (No paywall)Millions of people face emotional and financial crisis if England returns to a tiered system of restrictions after lockdown ... The charity warned that large numbers of people were at risk of going without essentials such as food, clothes and energy unless the government took action to boost cash support when the nation emerged from lockdown once again.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/09/return-to-covid-ti…
# Hot topic International, Coronavirus COVID-19, Welfare.Here’s a blueprint for an “impossible” sustainable affordable off-grid house. In the inner city
Poppy Johnston The Fifth Estate (No paywall)Take a dingy old workers cottage on a tight partly dark site in Sydney’s inner west suburbs of Newtown, ambitions for an off-grid oasis and a tight budget. Sounds unrealistic? Not for Laura Ryan.
https://www.thefifthestate.com.au/innovation/residential-2/heres…
# NSW, Utilities water energy internet, Affordable housing.CBA boss tips 8 per cent house price growth as low rates fuel property recovery
Clancy Yeates The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Commonwealth Bank chief executive Matt Comyn says the drop in interest rates to record lows is fuelling home buyers’ confidence, with the economic rebound prompting the bank to forecast an 8 per cent rise in house prices this year.
https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/cba-boss-tip…
# Australia, Coronavirus COVID-19, Housing market.The London Tenants’ Manifesto Launch and Overview
London Tenants Federation (No paywall)From the United Kingdom ... On Tuesday 19th January, we launched A positive future for social housing in London: The London Tenants’ Manifesto at an online event attended by tenants from 22 London boroughs, along with friends, supporters and London politicians. This is the audio recording made of the event.
https://londontenants.org/publication/audio-the-london-tenants-m…
# Audio International, Public and community housing.Mosman Property Group buys Nowra Gateway Caravan Park and plans to redevelop
Robert Crawford (No paywall)One of the prominent and talked about sites in Nowra is set to be redeveloped. The Mosman Property Group has acquired the Nowra Gateway Caravan Park adjacent to the Nowra Bridge, with plans to establish a tourism and business/conference accommodation venue. There have been calls over many years to redevelop the caravan park location with something more appealing as an entry to Nowra. Described by many as an "eyesore", ...
https://www.southcoastregister.com.au/story/7085712/troubled-now…
# NSW, Land lease communities.Concerns raised over some low-cost housing for refugees
Essam Al-Ghalib SBS (No paywall)An SBS investigation into low-cost housing provided to refugees and asylum seekers at one New South Wales charity has revealed a number of practices that have prompted concerns.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/audiotrack/concerns-raised-over-some…
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media, Audio NSW, Public and community housing.