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
The short-term stay that tax reform may make permanent
Shane Wright The Sydney Morning Herald (No paywall)The federal government’s overhaul of property taxes will force investors in short-term rentals to rethink their plans and could free up homes in the nation’s major capital cities, with Anthony Albanese arguing outlets like Airbnb have become a factor in the property market. Amid expectations that house prices will ease over the next year because of the government’s planned changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing, property analysts believe there will be a flow-on impact to the holiday rental sector.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-short-term-stay-that…
# NSW, .Redevelopment of beachside housing estate in Bellambi divides tenants and advocates
Penny Burfitt ABC (No paywall)Wayne Morris's three-bedroom social housing terrace in Wollongong has a million-dollar view. Walk out of his back door, down a short concrete path and out the gate, and you will find yourself overlooking Bellambi Beach. Mr Morris takes pride in the house he has carefully maintained for 12 years. It was full of family photos, luscious indoor plants, Rabbitohs merch and a very chatty parrot. Under a rezoning confirmed last week, his home and those of his neighbours in the Bellambi Estate would be replaced with thousands of new units in the next 15 to 20 years.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-18/bellambi-redevelopment-be…
# NSW, Public and community housing.One arrested as police clear out Waterloo public housing demolition protest camp
Declan Bowring ABC (No paywall)A 22-year-old female was arrested as NSW Police cleared out a protest camp that had been disrupting the demolition of public housing at Waterloo in Sydney's inner city. Dozens of officers, including mounted police, reportedly arrived at the site at 7am today to assist Homes NSW in removing the camp, which had been set up on the lawn of the public housing estate since May 25. The woman was arrested for trespassing and was taken to Mascot Police Station, where she was charged with entering inclosed land, not prescribed premises, without lawful excuse.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-19/arrest-police-clear-water…
# NSW, Public and community housing.The many multimillion-dollar homes of a ‘professional ratbag’
Lucy Macken The Sydney Morning Herald (No paywall)By his own admission, Kim Sarkin has been struggling to get on his feet financially since he arrived in Australia more than 18 months ago. Not that you would know it from his choice of real estate. Since Sarkin and his wife, Hayley, left New Zealand with their three children in tow, they have rented seven multimillion-dollar properties in some of Sydney’s most expensive suburbs – and defaulted on the rent on all of them. In a bid to recoup their losses, half a dozen of those landlords have resorted to legal action, taking their claims for more than $100,000 in unpaid rent to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT). In the process, they have revealed allegations of fake references and doctored receipts for purported rent and bond payments.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/the-many-multimillion-dollar…
# NSW, .The Glebe home, squatter’s rights and the fraud trial
Michaela Whitbourn The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)A Sydney lawyer, his wife and son have stood trial for fraud over an alleged plot to assume ownership of an inner west home, in an unusual case of squatter’s rights meeting the criminal law. Peter Colquhoun, a former principal of Rozelle firm Colquhoun & Colquhoun, was charged along with his wife Margaret and son Andrew with dishonestly obtaining the Glebe property by deception. The rundown property was renovated by Margaret and Andrew after the former owner died, and sold by them in 2022 for $3.67 million. The trio stood trial this year in the NSW District Court, resulting in Peter being acquitted while Margaret and Andrew were convicted of fraud. The court heard Margaret and Andrew took steps to assert ownership of the property under the law of adverse possession, known colloquially as “squatter’s rights”.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/the-glebe-home-squatter-s-ri…
# NSW, .Greens back CGT, negative gearing changes in return for extended NDIS inquiry, end to super loophole
Clare Armstrong ABC (No paywall)Labor's changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax will pass the Senate with support from the Greens after the two parties cut a deal that stops self-managed super funds from borrowing to purchase housing. An inquiry into the federal government's proposed overhaul of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has also been extended by eight weeks with a new reporting date of August 14, according to details of the agreement announced by the Greens today. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed Labor would back amendments to its tax bill to prevent people from using SMSFs as a vehicle to borrow money and invest in residential properties.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-23/greens-cgt-negative-geari…
# Australia, .Have you found mould in your rental? Here's what to do next
Amy Sheehan ABC (No paywall)Mould issues are one of the most common disputes in rental tenancies, according to real estate experts and tenancy advocates. Tenants Queensland receives an average of one complaint a day from tenants reporting mould issues in their homes. "It's anything from a long-time mould occurrence that they thought had been rectified to a tenant moving into a property that was previously flooded and wasn't remediated properly," says Julie Bartlett, principal solicitor at Tenants Queensland, Brisbane/Meanjin. "With the recent rains, it might be an issue at properties that haven't had the opportunity to dry out, and there's not enough ventilation." But how do you deal with a mould issue in a rental? And legally, whose responsibility is it to clean it or get rid of it?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-09/your-rights-and-options-m…
# Australia, Rent, Repairs.Australia still needs a real national housing strategy
Hal Pawson, Chris Martin Pearls and Irritations (No paywall)Labor’s capital gains tax and negative gearing reforms are a major step forward, but Australia still lacks the long-term national housing strategy needed to address social housing, rental security, energy efficiency and supply failures. The most remarkable aspect of the post-budget ruckus over the government’s proposed Capital Gains Tax reforms is surely the way that the housing dimension of the changes has – at least thus far – sailed forward with relatively little contention.
https://pearlsandirritations.com/post/2026/06/labor-delivers-str…
# Hot topic Australia, .