Media release – Collective, 9 August 2023

Support for Hobart Women’s Shelter amid Tasmanian housing crisis

As Tasmania struggles with its ongoing housing crisis, funds raised at a recent Collective – Inspiring Women in Business event will support Hobart Women’s Shelter’s project to create permanent housing for women and children who have been affected by family violence and homelessness.

For each event held by Collective, which is part of IntoWork Group, a local women’s charity is chosen as beneficiary.

Hobart Women’s Shelter Strategic Partnerships Manager, Ruby Finlen welcomed the support of the Collective, saying the demand for crisis accommodation was ‘far greater’ than what the shelter could provide, “Since 1st of July 2020, we have had to turn away 2678 of the 3440 women and children who have sought crisis accommodation from the Hobart Women’s Shelter, that is about 8 in 10 people with essentially nowhere to go,” Ms Finlen said.

“Unfortunately due to the shortage of affordable housing, we are seeing a real bottleneck at our shelter. Typically, an emergency accommodation period is up to 12 weeks but we have some families who have been living in the shelter for up to six months. These permanent homes will help alleviate that bottleneck.”

Ms Finlen said the shelter will build 25 permanent homes for women and children in the next two years, “We have secured the funds and recently had our development application approved for our first two homes but that is milestone one of what is a larger project to build an additional 25 homes for women and children by 2024 to add to the Shelter’s existing 25 emergency housing units – which coincides with our celebration of 50 years of service,” she said.

“It is with great thanks to organisations like the Collective and IntoWork Australia that we are able to do these projects because it really does come with the power of philanthropy.”

With homelessness increasing by over 40 per cent in five years in Hobart, Collective founder Kim Taylor said it was extremely important to support Hobart Women’s Shelter, “Through Collective events, we are proud to be able to donate to local non-for-profit organisations such as Hobart Women’s Shelter who work directly with women and give them stability in times of deep distress. Part of our purpose is playing an active part in creating an environment where women empower and support each other in their business and personal life,” she said.

Collective, through regular networking events, has raised over $70,000 to date for charities across Australia which directly support women.

Media release – Vica Bayley MP, Greens Housing spokesperson, 10 August 2023

Critical Housing Needs Ignored by Rockliff Government

A year to the day since the Premier’s disingenuous denial that Tasmania’s AFL bid was not reliant on a new waterfront stadium, the Treasurer has all but confirmed that critical funding requests from its new statutory housing authority have been denied.

While Premier Rockliff has been perfectly happy to write a blank cheque to the AFL for a stadium that is not wanted, not needed and would be loss-making, he has ignored the homeless and those struggling under ballooning rents and mortgages.

His government has made a welcome commitment to building 10,000 new homes by 2032, however this plan is woefully underfunded in the budget.

We understand that Homes Tasmania advised the Government that the $1.5 billion they have committed to their Housing Strategy is entirely inadequate, and delivering on that commitment will require at least five, if not six, billion dollars of government investment.

In Question Time, the Premier once again evaded providing a direct answer to our questions and the critical needs of Homes Tasmania. The fiscal management of the Rockliff Government appears all adrift.

On top of the government’s apparent multi-billion dollar underfunding of their Housing Strategy, Treasurer Michael Ferguson also failed to deny he had rejected a budget request from Homes Tasmania to deliver its recommended level of crisis accommodation, and another request for funding for 22 FTE staff. Neither of those critical requests appear delivered in full.

The government could choose to meet the funding requests of its own statutory housing provider, but has instead prioritised funding for a costly, unnecessary and unpopular stadium that will cost Tasmanians dearly.


Media release – Housing for the Aged Action Group, 10 August 2023

Growing number of older Australians are retiring with debt, paying unaffordable rents, and don’t have a stable place to call home; new research shows

A delegation of older people impacted by the housing crisis is visiting Parliament House in Canberra today to demand better for Australians as they age.

They arrive in Canberra with new research that shows increasing numbers of older people are retiring with mortgage debt or living in private rental. Staggeringly, more than 227,000 older Australians on low incomes living in private rental, are paying unaffordable levels of rent. It’s taking a toll on the mental, physical and emotional wellbeing of a large and growing amount of Australians as they age.

Seventy-year-old Marie Sillars, who is a member of the delegation and travelled to Canberra from the Sydney suburb of Ryde where she lives in community housing, says the delegation is there to make sure the voices of older people impacted by the housing crisis are heard.

“We have all lived very different lives, but our common struggles with housing brought us together,” she says.

“The system failed us. We’re here to try and stop that from happening to others.”

The research was commissioned by Housing for the Aged Action Group and conducted by researchers at Swinburne University of Technology, Western Sydney University and Curtin University.

Its findings include:

  • 81% of over 55s living in private rentals and in the lowest household income quintile – 112,000 people – are paying unaffordable levels of rent.
  • 55% of over 55s living in private rentals and in the second lowest household income quintile – 115,000 people – are paying unaffordable levels of rent.

In the decade from 2011 to 2021 the number of older Australians living in private rental grew by 295,000, an increase of 73%.

At the same time there is a growing number of over 55s living with mortgage debt. In 2021 23% of over 55s had mortgage debt, up from 19% in 2011. That is 581,000 more older Australians living with mortgage debt than a decade ago.

Alongside the experiences of the women in Canberra today and many more older people around the country, the research speaks to the massive crisis facing Australians as they grow older, HAAG executive officer Fiona York says.

“Housing is a human right. It’s fundamental to people’s wellbeing as they age. And yet this research shows how dire the housing situation is for many older Australians,” York says.

“Every single person deserves a home. Governments have a responsibility to ensure everyone living in Australia can access one.

“With increasing numbers of older Australians renting, or retiring with a mortgage, this is a crisis that without action is only going to get worse.”

HAAG and the members of its delegation are calling on the Federal Government to work with the state and territory governments to:

  • Build public and community housing units across the country to house at least 260,000 older renters on low incomes, living in marginal housing or experiencing homelessness
  • Fund a range of additional housing options appropriate for older people, including affordable housing, low-cost retirement housing, or co-operative housing
  • Strengthen rental protections for tenants by providing for longer leases, setting minimum accessibility and energy efficiency standards, and removing no-fault evictions
  • Provide additional tailored specialist services for older people who may struggle to access help otherwise

Access the full report here.