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On Homelessness …
Media release – Nic Street, Minister for Housing and Construction, 7 August 2023
Ambitious plans to tackle homelessness head on
Having a roof over your head is a fundamental right, which is why the Rockliff Liberal Government is delivering the most ambitious social and affordable housing plan in Tasmanian history.
We welcome the National Housing and Homelessness Plan Issues Paper released today to mark the start of Homelessness Week.
The plan sets out a national vision to improve housing outcomes and help address homelessness in Australia and identify reforms needed across the different levels of government to achieve this.
Minister for Housing and Construction, Nic Street, said our Government is acutely aware of the homelessness and housing stress that is impacting some Tasmanians.
“That is why we have a plan, with the 20-year Tasmanian Housing Strategy set to be released later this year,” he said.
“We are also preparing an Action Plan to accompany the Strategy, which will outline our next delivery targets as part of our plan for 10,000 homes by 2032.”
The national plan highlights two Tasmanian case studies – Housing Connect, a single-entry point to access all housing and homelessness services, and the Private Rental Incentives scheme that encourage private property owners to make their homes available for affordable rent to low-income households with low or no support needs.
“These initiatives form part of our ambitious social and affordable housing plan, which is helping Tasmanians in need,” Minister Street said.
“The Rockliff Liberal Government also commits $38 million a year in specialist homelessness services to support vulnerable Tasmanians.
“There is also a suite of programs available to support Tasmanians on low incomes, whether that be to achieve home ownership through the MyHome initiative or securing an affordable rental.”
Any Tasmanian who is facing homelessness and needs housing assistance is encouraged to contact Housing Connect for help, 24/7 on 1800 800 588.
Media release – Everybody’s Home, 4 August 2023
Organisations unite in rental reform call to Senate inquiry
A coalition of more than 80 organisations across Australia has urged governments to act swiftly on rental reform in a joint submission to the Senate’s rental crisis inquiry.
The broad range of organisations specialising in services including housing, health, domestic violence and law have signed a statement.
Fair limits on rent increases, ending no-cause evictions, and improving energy efficiency in homes are among the advocates’ listed priority areas of rental reform.
The group is also calling on federal, state and territory governments to aim for at least 10 per cent of all dwellings to be social housing.
National Association of Renters’ Organisation (NARO) Convenor Penny Carr: “There has never been a better opportunity for the country to work together to bring greater stability, safety and security to the millions of renting households nationwide.
“Today more than 80 services nationwide are jointly advocating to establish minimum standards for renting laws across the country. This will lead to better health, education and employment outcomes for renters as well as benefits to our whole community.”
Tenants’ Union of NSW CEO Leo Patterson Ross: “Renting in Australia should mean a good home from which we can live full, rich lives. Just as it did 50 years ago, the Commonwealth can support a national conversation across jurisdictions about what we expect from our renting system as well as bringing all the other tools it has to support good homes.
“The community sector joining together on this statement shows the level of support that exists for meaningful reform across every state and territory, and for the Commonwealth to be part of the conversation, to bring every rented home into the 21st century.”
National Shelter CEO Emma Greenhalgh: “This is a watershed moment in Australian housing policy for meaningful rental reform by the Commonwealth and State governments to make renting a much better experience for tenants. Renting will be a lifelong tenure for many Australians, and we need to ensure that the homes they live in are affordable, secure, and healthy.”
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize: “Living in cars, tents and on couches, sleeping on an empty stomach, fretting about paying this week’s rent, and uprooting to another community – the horrors of the rental crisis are here to stay if governments don’t act with urgency and ambition.
“Piecemeal measures aren’t going to cut it for the growing number of Australians who are at the mercy of an unaffordable and unreliable private rental market. Just as the Federal Government leads in other essential areas such as health and education, it must step up and provide safe and secure homes.”
Statement – National Association of Renters’ Organisations, 4 August 2023
Statement on the Worsening Rental Crisis in Australia
Dear Chair and Committee Members,
We are a broad and diverse range of organisations, including renting and housing, health, youth and community advocacy organisations, community legal centres, unions and faith based organisations. Our organisations are committed to ensuring better outcomes for people who rent their homes across Australia.
We are jointly submitting this statement to the Senate’s inquiry into the Worsening Rental Crisis in Australia to highlight the need for urgent action to address the challenges faced by renters and ensure access to safe, secure, affordable and healthy homes.
We note that in addition to this joint statement, many of our organisations will also be providing separate submissions to contribute their perspectives and insights into the worsening crisis in rental housing.
Background
As ownership has become less and less affordable, a growing number of people are renting, with over 8 million Australians now making homes in the rental sector. Around two in five of these households include dependent children, and a growing number of people are long-term renters who will rent through their entire life, including into retirement. Renting is not a temporary step: it is a way of life for many people whose ability to have a decent home is determined by the conditions in the rental sector.
However, the current state of the rental market is characterised by instability, insecurity, and a lack of adequate protections for renters. Market rents are unaffordable with many renters struggling to secure a new rental property in the fiercely competitive private rental market. Most renters continue to face significant insecurity, making it very difficult to assert their rights such as requesting repairs.
Many rental homes provided are of a poor standard.1 In addition, the often substantial increases to rent being experienced by many across the country is placing a tremendous burden on individuals and families. Too many renting households are spending too much of their income on rent, leaving very little for other necessary ever-increasing expenses.2
Immediate measures must be taken to address the pressing issues in the private rental market. While long-term solutions such as significantly increasing the proportion of social housing stock and housing supply more broadly are crucial, additional reforms and measures are needed to alleviate the immediate challenges faced by renters.
We collectively bring attention to the need for national, state and territory governments to work together to develop a consultative framework and national plan for rental reform, to deliver meaningful outcomes across all jurisdictions. A national framework and plan will establish a shared set of rights and protections for renters and shared ambition for improvement across the rental housing system, while safeguarding against any regression of rights in any jurisdiction. A national plan should not stop immediate action by states and territories to undertake rental reform.
Priority areas of rental reform
The following priority areas require reform to address the worsening crisis in rental housing:
Greater stability and security for people who rent their homes
Without better protections against no-cause evictions, including at the end of fixed-term leases, renters cannot enforce other rights without fear of reprisal. We recommend the prioritising of reforms to ensure landlords must provide renters with a valid reason for terminating a tenancy to provide better protection against arbitrary and unfair evictions.
Stronger protections and fair limits on rent increases
Reforms are urgently needed to stabilise rent prices. Setting fair limits and stronger protections against excessive rent increases is a crucial, timely intervention that can help address the housing insecurity and financial stress the increased unaffordability of rents is creating.
Safe and healthy homes for renters
Renters have a right to live in a safe, accessible and healthy home that meets a clearly articulated basic minimum standard. This must include basic energy efficiency standards to reduce the energy required to heat or cool a home, and ensure access to an affordable energy supply. Renters must also have the right to modify their home where necessary to ensure it is accessible and they can live safely and independently.
Better enforcement, oversight, and accountability so that compliance is the norm
The current enforcement paradigm relies on renters to enforce the laws – despite having less power and being vulnerable to retaliation through eviction or rent increases. Government agencies should be better resourced to respond to and support tenant self-advocacy, while also pro-actively enforcing rental laws and applying penalties to deter noncompliance. Introduction of landlord registration (or licensing) schemes that provide greater transparency, accountability and data to our renting systems should be considered.
Access to free advice, assistance and advocacy It is vital renters across Australia have access to high quality tenancy advocacy advice and assistance. Tenancy Advice and Advocacy Services have demonstrated they are effective at sustaining tenancies, reducing evictions directly into homelessness, and reducing debts. Resourcing of services across Australia has not kept pace with the growth in the number of residential tenancies and the growth in the number of disadvantaged households in the rental market whose tenancies are especially precarious. There is also very limited resourcing provided to housing advocates with experience and expertise in residential tenancy systems to take part in consultation and conversations and ensure renters’ voices are heard, in particular at the national level.
Substantial investment in social housing is required from both federal and state governments
Alongside rental reforms, the inquiry should recognise that housing is a complex system with interacting parts. Unaffordable, inadequate housing in the private rental sector puts greater pressure and cost on the social housing and homelessness system. A robust and healthy social housing system likewise eases pressure on the private rental sector. High property prices put pressure on all forms of renting.
We note that Australia’s stock of social housing has fallen consistently over preceding decades. Public housing has not been supported by governments. Transfers of property and / or management, and availability of lower cost finance to community housing, does not ensure the number and diversity of social housing dwellings increases at a rate sufficient to keep up with demand for genuinely affordable homes. Governments should aim for investment consistent with meeting a target of a minimum 10% of all housing being public or community housing by 2036.
Conclusion
The worsening crisis in rental housing demands immediate attention, and comprehensive reform across our rental housing systems. We hope the process of developing a clear framework and plan for national reform to our renting laws is one that is consultative, and delivers meaningful outcomes for renting households.
Governments must consult with advocates with direct experience and knowledge of tenancy law, along with other key stakeholders as they develop a national plan. Most importantly they must take this opportunity to hear directly from renters in the community. Renters have direct experience and important expertise about what is going wrong with the system, and must play a key role to help shape the solutions we so urgently need.
Signed by
National Association of Renters’ Organisation Circle Green Community Legal
Darwin Community Legal Service
Tenants’ Queensland
Tenants’ Union of NSW
Tenants’ Union of Tasmania
Tenants’ Victoria
National Shelter
The Shelter Network ACT Shelter
NT Shelter
Queensland Shelter
Shelter NSW
Shelter SA
Shelter Tasmania
Shelter WA
Councils of Social Service
ACT Council of Social Service
Australian Council of Social Services
Northern Territory Council of Social Service
NSW Council of Social Services
Queensland Council of social Services
Western Australia Council of Social Services
Amelie Housing
Anglicare Australia
Anglicare WA
Arc Justice (Victoria)
Asthma Australia
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights
Better Renting
Brotherhood of St. Laurence
Canberra Community Law
Central Coast Tenants’ Advice and Advocacy Service (NSW)
Central Tablelands and Blue Mountains Community Legal
Centre (NSW)
Colony 47 (Tasmania)
Community Housing Central Australia
Community Housing Industry Australia
Community Housing Limited
Community Legal Centres Australia
Community Legal Centres Qld (CLCQ)
Consumer Policy Research Centre
Council of Single Mothers and their Children
Council on the Ageing ACT
Domestic Violence NSW
Enhance Care Inc (Queensland)
Everybody’s Home
Federation of Community Legal Centres Victoria
Financial Counsellors’ Association of Western Australia Foundation for Young Australians
Gold Coast Youth Service (Queensland)
Hobart Women’s Shelter
Housing for the Aged Action Group
Hervey Bay Neighbourhood Centre
Hobart City Mission (Tasmania)
Housing Matters Action Group (NSW)
Hunter Tenants’ Advice Service (NSW)
Illawarra Legal Centre (NSW)
Ipswich Regional Advocacy Services Inc (Queensland)
Justice Connect
Kimberley Community Legal Services
Marrickville Legal Centre (NSW)
Mid Coast Tenants’ Advice Service (NSW)
Mission Australia
National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Housing
Association
New England and Western Tenants Advice and Advocacy
Service (NSW)
Peninsula Community Legal Centre (Victoria)
Public Interest Advocacy Centre
Queensland Alliance for Mental Health Queensland Youth Housing Coalition
Redfern Legal Centre
Rights & Inclusion Australia
The Salvation Army Australia Territory
Shelter Housing Action Cairns (Queensland)
Southern Youth and Family Services
St Vincent de Paul Australia
Sweltering Cities
Sydney Alliance (NSW)
Think Forward
Tasmanian Council of Social Services
Tasmanian University Student Association
UMSU Legal Service (Victoria)
Unions Tasmania
Uniting Communities
Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service
Victorian Council of Social Services
Victorian Public Tenants’ Association
Western Sydney Community Forum (NSW)
WEstjustice
Women’s Legal Service NSW
- Choice, National Shelter, NATO (2018) Disrupted.
- For example see Foodbank Australia (2023) Submission in response to the Senate Select Committee on Cost of Living Inquiry.