Federal Election still neglecting renters
18/5/22 – Many Tasmanian households – over 40 000 – pay rent for their homes, but the Federal Election campaigns have offered very little to renters who are paying exorbitant prices. Almost nothing has been announced to bring in new supply for those who need an affordable home to rent. The major parties’ announcements have been dominated by home ownership schemes, with deafening silence on renters.
Yet, we know from the Rental Affordability Index that Hobart is the least affordable capital city for renters on the standard measure of rent-to-income, and the rest of the State is likewise the least affordable nationally. Last month Anglicare’s Rental Affordability Snapshot showed that people on low incomes in our State have little hope of securing affordable homes in the private rental market. Only 2 properties statewide were affordable for a single person receiving Jobseeker.
Fixing the housing crisis in Tasmania – and nationally – requires action on the rental crisis. Local workers and families need secure affordable and appropriate homes, but too many Tasmanian homes are increasingly made available to visitors and tourists at the expense of renters. Both social housing and the private rental market have a part to play, and Federal policies and funding need to address this crisis.
Whoever is elected as the new Federal Government needs to help end Tasmania’s housing crisis. All Tasmanians – renters, mortgage holders and owners – need a safe and affordable home to live in. Better conditions for renters will help to prevent homelessness, limit the risk of virus transmission in overcrowded dwellings, and reduce the stress on renting families and homelessness services.
With just a few days to go until the Federal Election, Shelter Tas still hopes to see all parties commit to better policies and funding for renters.
Our national colleagues have also been busy advocating for better housing outcomes this election, be sure to visit the CHIA website for more information, and the National Shelter Federal Election Checklist, which compares responses to National Shelter’s 2022 policy platform as well as a summary of the various housing policies and programs announced by the major parties during the campaign.
Shelter Tas’ Key Election Asks
Together with aligned national organisations, Shelter Tas is calling for:
- A National Housing Strategy and a National First People’s Housing Strategy
- A target of social housing to be 10% of all housing and national construction of at least 25,000 new social and affordable homes per annum to meet the target
- 20% increase and funding certainty for Specialist Homelessness Services
- National ‘build to rent to buy’ program for lower-income households
- National climate resilience fund to support retrofitting or renewal of poorly performing/located social housing, particularly managed by community housing organisations
- Increasing the Commonwealth Rental Assistance rate by 50%
- National rental law reform to improve security, affordability and safety in the rental market
- Delivering a plan to end homelessness by 2035
Election priorities from our national colleagues
For more details click on the document links below:
National Shelter
Community Housing Industry Association
Everybody’s Home Campaign
Housing policies from the major parties
Click the following links if you would like to know more about the housing policies from the major parties:
ALP – Safer and More Affordable Housing
Liberals – Housing and Home Ownership
Greens – One Million Homes
Housing crisis and cost of living key issues for the Federal Election
4/5/22 – With the Federal election fast approaching, cost of living pressures for all Tasmanians, and particularly for renters are front of mind. The Anglicare 2022 Rental Affordability Snapshot, released Thursday 28 April shows people on low incomes in our State have little hope of securing affordable homes in the private rental market. For example, only 2 properties statewide were affordable for a single person receiving Jobseeker.
Whoever is elected as the new Federal Government needs to help end Tasmania’s housing crisis. Building much-needed social housing provides both an economic boost and a public good. All Tasmanians need a safe and affordable home – to prevent homelessness, limit the risk of virus transmission in overcrowded dwellings, and reduce the stress on renting families and homelessness services.
Shelter Tas is joining our national peaks to call for action on housing and homelessness. We note some positive policies for systemic improvements and assistance for lower income home purchasers have been announced (see below), and we still hope to see policies from all parties that will ensure all renters and owners in Tasmania can afford to have the homes they need.