The pressure on renters remains high and has been having an increasing impact on rural and regional areas.
Labor candidate for Clarence, Leon Ankersmit, highlights that this is seen in an ‘eight per cent increase in regional areas over just the last 12 months.’
Both Labor and The Greens have put out plans to address the housing crisis with The Greens proposing a $1 billion investment in social and public housing and Labor focussing on ‘immediate relief and fairer rules for renters’.
‘Grafton and Casino, they were the places where people could always find a place to live, but that’s no longers the case,’ said Mr Ankersmit.
‘I was on the executive of Anglicare for ten years so we’ve been talking about the rental crisis for at least that long. Charities have addressed the devastating impacts of poverty that results from rental stress, hoping for an intervention from government.
‘Over the last five years, the rental crisis has arrived in Grafton and Casino – which used to be affordable places. This is not because of the flood, though this has increased the pressure on housing stock, the rental crisis was here before that. It is because of the lack of investment in social housing over all these years.
‘For example, they sold housing stock in Sydney at Millers Point etc and raised hundreds of millions for affordable housing but that hasn’t been spent in rural areas. This is a Liberal-National government and this rental crisis in rural areas has crept in under the National’s watch.’
The median rent in regional NSW now $475 according to research by the Tenants Union. That has seen an eight per cent increase o the past year which is on top of the 28 per cent increase already experienced on pre-pandemic levels.
‘Almost two-thirds of low-income private renters are in rental stress – that is, paying more than 30 per cent of their income on rent each week,’ said Mr Ankersmit.
‘Labor understands owning a home has slipped out of reach for many, and more and more people are renting for life. Renters have been ignored and sidelined by this Government, which is why NSW Labor has a clear plan to offer immediate relief and fairer rules for renters. We will:
- establish a Rental Commissioner who will lead our rental reforms
- ban secret rent bidding
- outlaw evictions unless they are on reasonable grounds • make it easier for renters to apply to have a pet
- implement a portable bonds scheme allowing renters to transfer their bond to a new property giving them immediate cost of living relief
- introduce a mandatory requirement for 30 per cent of all homes built on surplus government land to be set aside for social, affordable and universal housing.’
Greens propose $1billion investment
The Greens Housing Rescue Plan that was launched last week in Lismore seeks to deliver 2,500 social and public homes across regional NSW with Jenny Leong MP, Greens NSW housing and Renters Spokesperson saying that,’ rents have been skyrocketing cross regional NSW and the impact if unregulated short-term holiday letting is adding fuel to an already red hot housing market.’
‘Regional communities are facing unprecedented climate impacts and off-the-charts housing stress. It is clear that this unacceptable housing situation cannot continue.’
So, distort the markets for short term gain to cause even bigger rental supply problems in the long run while importing 2.5 million third-worlders this decade to increase the population another 10% while blowing up our power plants and refusing to build more dams. Do people realise how fragile civilisation is or do we ignore that while we are still comfortable enough? No wonder why they keep antagonising Russia and China. Nuclear population reduction is the only thing that will get them out of the long term consequences of their actions.
This problem won’t end until taxes stop subsidising people to buy investment properties while others have to rent – or cannot afford to.
This won’t stop until enough people speak up to demand it stops
Why is making it easier for renters to also have a pet a thing? We just had to replace carpets in a rental that was ruined by dog urine, despite us asking that any dog not be allowed inside. I thought the problem was low income and high rent. Why is having a pet, surely a luxury of sorts if you’re struggling, seen as a right?
Because they call every desire they have a ‘human right’ as they think ‘rights’ come from government. They confuse rites with writs and then imagine them as a requisite physical law of a subjective universe. Thus they attack us when the real world doesn’t work that way and call for big daddy government to use its imagined monopoly on physical violence to force the issue, exacerbating the problems they cause, undermining the situation further. Eventually they end up living in a tent. Meanwhile there is plenty of cheaper land to buy or rent, but they have a ‘human right’ to live in a pretty, comfortable area with all the utilities and services in walking distance. It’s ‘cargo cult’ mentality which makes them functionally replaceable by third-worlders, which is what’s happening.
Not saying I agree with it Paul, but…because pets are for life, and some people with pets, but struggling, got their pets before their struggle began