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
NSW Government keeps 'independent' review of Wagga public housing debacle secret
Olivier Jacques About Regional (No paywall)The NSW Government has refused to release any information on a supposed “independent” review of its handling of a Wagga government housing project that has left tradies tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket.
Oasis Scaffolding and Bricklaying ($90,000), Plaster Pros Wagga ($55,000), Wagga Glass and Aluminium ($42,000) and New-Crete Concreting ($28,000) have told Region they are still owed large sums of money for the work they did on the now complete government housing block at 16 Spring Street.
https://aboutregional.com.au/nsw-government-keeps-independent-re…
# NSW, Public and community housing.Mirvac, Lendlease, Stockland, Frasers in race for $4b Waterloo South
Michael Bleby Financial Review (Paywall)Four of Australia’s largest developers are pitted against each other in the shortlist for Sydney’s $4.4 billion Waterloo Estate housing project, described by one close observer as “the most complex property deal done by government in recent times”.
Mirvac, Lendlease, Frasers and Stockland are each leading a consortium that will go into a request for proposal stage early next year before two finalists are chosen in mid-2023 and the contract awarded by year-end.
https://www.afr.com/property/commercial/mirvac-lendlease-stockla…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Planning and development.Remaking our suburbs’ 1960s apartment blocks: a subtle and greener way to increase housing density
Guillermo Fernández-Abascal and Urtzi Grau The Conversation (No paywall)As cities grow, new buildings gradually replace the older ones. Ideally, the new buildings are higher quality, more sustainable and better suited to today’s needs. But there’s a risk current approaches to urban renewal will produce poorer amenities and buildings that are less flexible and more environmentally damaging than those they replace.
https://theconversation.com/remaking-our-suburbs-1960s-apartment…
# NSW, Affordable housing, Housing affordability, Housing market, Planning and development.More key worker housing for Redfern
NSW Minister for Active Transport, Minister for Cities, Minister for Infrastructure NSW Government (No paywall)A new urban renewal project within walking distance of Redfern station will include up to 600 build-to-rent and affordable homes, a new public parkland and the adaptive reuse of the heritage-listed Clothing Store building.
# NSW, Public and community housing, Affordable housing, Planning and development.NSW Govt Completes Rezoning for $3bn Housing Estate
Ralph Nicholson The Urban Developer (No paywall)The New South Wales government has rezoned a big chunk of Sydney’s inner south, paving the way for its $3-billion plan to redevelop a 1970s housing estate.
The rezoning of the initial phase of the 19ha Waterloo South estate will allow for construction of up to 847 social housing units, part of an eventual 3000 private and social homes.
https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/waterloo-south-rezoni…
# NSW, Public and community housing, Planning and development.Regional renters’ lives are about to get harder still. Here’s a fix
Brendan Coates and Joey Moloney The Sydney Morning Herald (No paywall)For a long time, Australia’s housing affordability crisis was mostly seen as a problem for city dwellers. But since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, regional renters have also been feeling the pain.
Across regional Australia, vacancy rates are at record lows and asking rents have surged 12.5 per cent over the past year. Shocking stories abound of people in regional areas, including many who have jobs, sleeping in caravans, tents or even their cars because they can’t find a home they can afford to rent.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/regional-renters-lives-are-about…
# NSW, Rent, Housing affordability.Imperfect match: Australian renters in the dark over use of data by tech company Snug
Stephanie Convery The Guardian (No paywall)Exclusive: Snug gives renters a score based on their profile that is meant to match them to properties, but critics say the process is opaque and skirts the law on rental bidding.
One of Australia’s fastest growing rental application platforms is using renters’ data in obscure and potentially discriminatory ways to “score” their applications against rental properties, and gives them a higher score when they offer to pay more rent, a Guardian Australia investigation has found.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/17/imperfect…
# Hot topic Australia, Privacy and access, Tenant databases.‘Do we just make a tent city?’: the councils grappling with an influx of homeless Australians
Jordyn Beazley The Guardian (No paywall)Some authorities are evicting campers from public land; others are installing temporary facilities. But all say current solutions are not tenable long-term
There are only three residents left in Huntly Lions Park, a campground just north of Bendigo’s city centre. In August, the council rezoned the land and told everyone living there in tents and caravans they had 14 days to leave.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/20/do-we-jus…
# Australia, Public and community housing.