Housing
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Want to solve Australia’s housing crisis? Look to Vienna
What do you think of when you think of Vienna? Probably not a model for affordable housing in Australia. Continue reading »
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Weighing the significance of Labor’s social housing investment fund
After more than six months of Parliamentary wrangling, the ALP’s flagship housing future fund bill finally cleared the Senate last week. For Australia’s neglected social housing sector, this presages a welcome revival of federally-supported capital investment, absent for most of the past quarter century. But, in a longer-term perspective, the resulting program will be significant Continue reading »
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Embedding indigenous advice in government policy key to real change
In discussions of the upcoming referendum on establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, a question often raised is how will it make a difference? This has been difficult for advocates to address because instances of governments’ empowering our First Nations peoples are few and far between. Continue reading »
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National Cabinet’s new housing plan could fix our rental crisis and save renters billions
Wednesday’s National Cabinet meeting set itself a huge task: to fix Australia’s rental crisis. Thankfully, given rents are rising at their fastest rate in decades, the plan it produced just might do the trick. Continue reading »
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Labor offers new help for renters and first homebuyers, but PM must aim higher
Along with a new scheme for first home buyer assistance, Federally-led rental reform is now on the PM’s agenda. But this week’s National Cabinet and Party Conference housing announcements need to be integrated into a coherent and ambitious long-term strategy. Continue reading »
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Housing crisis, what housing crisis?
Newspapers decry it; yet market-led inflation more broadly is tut-tutted away as a ‘sacred mystery’ central to a free and working capitalist system. Government mandated inflation however, which society must pay to maintain a balanced economy, does not please anyone. Continue reading »
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Careful what you wish for: Why a double dissolution over housing could spell trouble for the Greens
They can’t say they weren’t warned. Shortly before coming to office Anthony Albanese said, ‘I’ve been underestimated my whole life’. Continue reading »
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The budget left the homeless, homeless
The housing problem is huge and complex but the plight of the homeless is growing and must be addressed urgently. To solve the problem, what are the practicalities of manufactured housing and their financing? Continue reading »
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High stakes debate on Albanese Government’s social and affordable housing plans
The Albanese Government’s flagship housing legislation has stalled in the Senate, with the PM alarmingly flagging a risk that the package might be abandoned until the next election. Continue reading »
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Please sir I want some more. The case for needs-based funding for the Northern Territory
When unpacking the way in which national funds for front line services such as homelessness are handed out, arguably little has changed for modern day Darwin since the garrison town was bombed in 1942. Continue reading »
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The one hope for peace in the West Bank
Last Thursday, the Australian government condemned Israel for planting more settlements on the occupied West Bank: 10,000 extra units. It’s a big step to criticise Israel because in Australia its organised friends are a powerful lobby. But this was a huge breach of international law. And, as Penny Wong pointed out, a deliberate blow to Continue reading »
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The impact of the housing crisis on the mental and physical health of children
In Australia, we pride ourselves on our egalitarianism, yet now cannot even provide security of accommodation for everyone. How can this be, when older women who have lost their financial security from family break-up and illness, and even young women with small children, end up couch-surfing or sleeping in a car? Continue reading »
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Housing crisis: Can a universal basic income solve homelessness?
Chalmer’s first budget critiqued; Why does Australia have a rental crisis?; and Razzhigaeva explores whether a universal basic income can help address homelessness. Read on for the latest monthly digest of articles on housing affordability and homelessness. Continue reading »
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Frankel: Australia’s housing affordability and homelessness crisis
National Housing and Homelessness Agreement ‘ineffective’; Governments must address structural factors leading to housing unaffordability; and First Nations people face discrimination in the private rental market. Read on for the latest monthly digest of articles, research reports, policy announcements and other material about housing stress/affordability and homelessness. Continue reading »
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The market has failed to give Australians affordable housing, so don’t expect it to solve the crisis
The federal Labor government has promised to craft a national housing and homelessness plan and to fund new social housing, returning Canberra to a field it all but abandoned for a decade. A new Productivity Commission report is scathing about current arrangements and calls for far-reaching change. Continue reading »
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Frankel: Australia’s housing affordability and homelessness crisis
1 in 28 indigenous people homeless, Australian rental market “hurtling toward disaster”, and $575 million committed to affordable housing in this month’s report on Australia’s housing affordability and homelessness crisis. Continue reading »
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Learning from people who are homeless
A homeless person’s life, burdened, as it often is, by physical and mental illness, addiction, and social disadvantage, can lead us to think their life is meaningless and of no value; but we can be so wrong, they have much to teach us. Continue reading »
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Oliver Frankel’s Monthly digest – Housing is a human right, not a commodity
This is the latest monthly digest of articles, research reports, policy announcements and other material about housing stress/affordability and homelessness. Continue reading »
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Monthly digest on housing affordability and homelessness
This is the latest monthly digest of articles, research reports, policy announcements and other material about housing stress/affordability and homelessness. Continue reading »
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A comparison of Labor and the Coalition’s policies to assist first home buyers
Australia has a problem of housing affordability, but it is mainly concentrated among the poorest young families. Labor’s housing policies are better directed to improving their equality of access, but neither of the major political parties’ policies are adequate to the task. Continue reading »
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Monthly digest on housing stress, affordability and homelessness
This is the latest monthly digest of articles, research reports, policy announcements and other material about housing stress/affordability and homelessness. Continue reading »
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Priority actions for the next federal housing minister
Housing is yet again up there as a major concern in this year’s federal election debate. Given the rising cost of putting a roof over your head in today’s Australia, that’s hardly surprising. Buying a home will now set you back 30% more than at the start of the Morrison government’s current term in office. Continue reading »
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Monthly digest on housing affordability and homelessness
This is the latest monthly digest of articles, research reports, policy announcements and other material about housing stress/affordability and homelessness. Continue reading »
