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
Call for change after Aussie renter 'kicked out' of home after simple request to landlord
Courtney Greatrex Yahoo News (No paywall)An Aussie renter claims she is being "kicked out" of her home after making a simple request to her landlord. Annaliese Todd was in tears as she explained she made a request to her property manager asking to look after a friend's dog while they are overseas for six months, but the request instantly backfired. The Sydney single mum claims that on the same day, she was told the landlords want to move back into the property, so her family would be required to vacate. "I've been kicked out of my rental," she said online, explaining her request.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/call-for-change-after-aussie-renter-ki…
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media NSW, Eviction, Pets, Rent.'A video about my rental termination has gone viral. This is what really happened.'
Annaliese Todd Mama Mia (No paywall)Sometimes, you're just going for a walk, you pick up your phone and you hit record on TikTok to vent. The next minute, you're on the news. Does that happen to anyone else? Well, it happened to me. I don't have that standard reflex where I just vent to a friend when life gets messy. I'm a storyteller. I process the world through a lens and a keyboard. It's cathartic, and in the case of my current living situation, it's become a lightning rod for the "Great Australian Rental Divide".
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media NSW, Eviction, Pets, Rent.Sydney to get its first new inner-city suburb in decades as Glebe Island becomes Bays West
Daisy Dumas and Penry Buckley The Guardian (No paywall)Sydney will have a new inner-city suburb – known as Bays West – within a decade, giving the public access to Glebe Island’s waterfront, the home of Sydney’s last working port, for the first time in more than 100 years. The New South Wales government on Tuesday announced that a long-awaited overhaul of the state-owned land, directly above the under-construction Bays Metro station and near the western end of the Anzac Bridge, will proceed, delivering 8,500 new homes. Bulk port operations, including cement, gypsum and sugar handling, will cease by 2030.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/mar/02/sydney-ne…
# NSW, .Why being 55 and homeless led Michelle to start a housing revolution
Lisa Edser The Senior (No paywall)A 55-year-old woman is campaigning for the federal government to step in and make blanket rules to recognise tiny homes as a way to ease homelessness and the housing crisis, after finding herself in dire straits. Michelle Cook has been advocating for older women at risk of housing insecurity and wants councils around the nation to have "consistent" laws and regulations when it comes to allowing caravans and tiny homes to stay on private land indefinitely.
https://www.thesenior.com.au/story/9183912/an-advocate-wants-to-…
# NSW, .Council supports idea to alleviate rental crisis
Merilyn Vale Coast Community News (No paywall)Central Coast Councillor Doug Eaton wants the Australian Government to introduce a system to incentivise retirees to rent out vacant rooms in their family home to alleviate the existing rental crisis. He says such incentives could include exemption of rental income from income tax and pension allowable income and exemption from capital gains tax that would otherwise arise from the rental of the family home. He said the family home was exempt from capital gains tax but this exemption was lost in part if the home was part rented.
https://coastcommunitynews.com.au/central-coast/news/2026/02/cou…
# NSW, Rent.North Sydney goes electric, with gas banned in new homes
Huw Bradshaw North Shore Lorikeet (No paywall)Developers submitting housing plans to North Sydney Council from July 1 will have to ensure there are no gas connections within the project, following a vote on Monday. What happened: In an attempt to rid the area of gas for “environmental, health and economic reasons”, North Sydney councillors voted in August last year to seek the public’s view on tweaking the building code to ban gas in new homes.
https://www.northshorelorikeet.com.au/p/north-sydney-goes-electr…
# NSW, Utilities water energy internet.Independent Planning Commission approves 46-storey rental tower for Sydney
Duncan Evans Daily Telegraph (Paywall)In a big win for Sydney’s YIMBYs, the powerful Independent Planning Commission has approved a massive $163m rental tower, overriding objections from the local council and a mixed reaction from residents. Novus on Victoria, a 46-storey retail and residential tower planned for 410-416 Victoria Ave in Chatswood, would deliver 260 rental apartments above commercial space. In approving the build this week, the IPC stressed the sharp and growing gap between the city’s housing supply and demand as a core factor in its decision.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/business/new-south-wales/indep…
# NSW, .Vested interest ‘cartel’ killing Aussie housing dream
Michael West Media (No paywall)A “cartel” of vested interests is stymying crucial tax reforms which could help free up more homes, a former boss of the Reserve Bank says. Bernie Fraser, the only person in Australian history to have served as both RBA governor and Treasury secretary, said tax concessions for property investors should scrapped to boost housing supply. He argued the current capital gains tax discount, which applies to properties owned by an investor for at least a year, exacerbates inequality by rewarding the top end of town.
https://michaelwest.com.au/vested-interest-cartel-killing-aussie…
# Must read Australia, .