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
Housing boost for Northern Rivers with 112 new social homes
Echo (No paywall)The Minns government says it’s building more homes, more quickly in the Northern Rivers, delivering 112 new dwellings across Alstonville, Casino and Lismore, as part of $6.6 billion of investment into social housing, delivering 8,400 new homes across NSW. Eleven projects across the Northern Rivers are underway or recently completed, including: 16 brand new homes in Lismore, with about 20 tenants recently moving in.
https://www.echo.net.au/2025/12/housing-boost-for-northern-river…
# NSW, Public and community housing.Annual Report 2024-2025
Tenants' Union of NSW (No paywall)As we reflect on the past year, I am proud to share the remarkable progress we have made together in advancing housing justice for renters across New South Wales. The abolition of ‘no grounds’ evictions stands as a landmark achievement – nearly five decades in the making. It is a testament to the persistence of countless advocates, community partners, and renters who shared their stories and stood firm in the belief that every person deserves a secure home. While this reform is cause for celebration, we know our work is far from over.
# TUNSW in the media NSW, .Why are so many Australian houses sitting empty?
Kate Uebergang ABC (No paywall)No matter how tightly held your neighbourhood is... there's almost definitely at least one empty home on your street... or a long-time vacant lot nearby? New research claims that the number of empty dwellings across Melbourne has risen dramatically... from more than 27,000 in 2023 to nearly 32,000 in 2024. And across the country ... experimental ABS data suggests that up to 140,000 dwellings are sitting vacant. So, why would houses, apartments, and blocks of land be left sitting empty? And is there a way to utilise these properties to address Australia's housing crisis?
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/lifematters/why-are-so-ma…
# Audio Australia, .What Australians now expect from landlords
Amy Hall SBS (No paywall)The high cost of keeping their homes at a comfortable temperature is, according to new research from Energy Consumers Australia (ECA), driving millions of renters to avoid it altogether. ECA's latest Consumer Energy Report Card, released on Thursday, found that 70 per cent of a poll of 1,428 renters nationwide were avoiding heating or cooling their homes to save money. At the same time, two in five (40 per cent) of those polled said they couldn't afford to keep their home at a comfortable temperature on hot days without using a lot of energy. For cold days, the national figure was 32 per cent.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/what-australians-now-expect-…
# Hot topic Australia, .Is unaffordable and poor quality housing the new norm?
Grace Pashley ABC (No paywall)If you're over 50, new research shows that unaffordable and poor quality housing is getting in the way of living a dignified second act. And whether you make payments to the bank or another home owner it doesn't really matter, houses that are affordable and in good condition are in the minority.
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/lifematters/is-unaffordab…
# Audio Australia, .Community housing provider HousingFirst defends dual rent rises on newly acquired properties
Andi Yu ABC (No paywall)David Phillips used to run general stores in remote Northern Territory communities and spend his spare time sailing a yacht off the Arnhem Land coast. The 78-year-old's adventurous life seems a world away from his tiny community housing studio in Melbourne's south-east. He chose to live at Glenloch Homes about nine years ago because the cost was manageable on his aged pension and allowed him to live independently, despite a chronic back injury. He liked that Glenloch was a private trust with charity status where residents were invited to annual general meetings and rent only increased a little with inflation each year.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-05/housing-first-defends-dua…
# Australia, Rent.Housing crisis taking a toll on caravan park owners in WA's South West
Madigan Landry ABC (No paywall)Caravan park owners say they are copping the brunt of the housing crisis, as those on the brink of homelessness turn to these facilities as a last resort. Owners have spoken to the ABC about the emotional toll of turning desperate people away and dealing with anti-social behaviour from some long-term residents. Greg Homer has run the Waterloo Village Caravan Park on the outskirts of Bunbury, 160km south of Perth, with his family since 2011. Mr Homer said, while he found running the park fulfilling, the demand for accommodation he faced on a daily basis was overwhelming.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-05/housing-crisis-has-impact…
# Australia, Land lease communities.Woolworths and Coles to energy, rent and housing: The 5 years that changed Australia
Tarric Brooker Yahoo News (No paywall)Since the Covid pandemic first arrived in Australia more than half a decade ago, the nation’s cost of living has at times seen the largest and swiftest rise in over 30 years. Prior to the pandemic the RBA dropped interest rates again and again for over eight years, as they tried to bring the rate of inflation up to sustainably sit within it’s 2 per cent to 3 per cent target range.
https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/woolworths-and-coles-to-energy…
# Australia, Rent.