The rights of renters will soon be considered by the national cabinet but the federal government has rejected a Greens proposal to cap rent increases, saying they “don’t work.” In the midst of a housing crisis across the country, the Greens last week successfully deferred a Labor bill to establish a Housing Australia Future Fund until…

New housing modelling has painted a bleak outlook for Australia’s aspiring homeowners in the coming years as interest rate hikes and a surge in population growth are exacerbating housing shortages across the country. According to the latest modelling released by the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC)–a federal agency tasked with improving housing outcomes,…

Crossbenchers in the senate are under pressure to pass the Australian Labor government’s $10 billion (US$6.7 billion) housing fund bill through the parliament this week after negotiations between the crossbenchers and the government derailed. The bill is an initiative by Labor to fulfil its election promise to build 30,000 social and affordable homes, and under the…

The Australian government has introduced a $10 billion (US$6.95 billion) package to address the lack of social and affordable housing across the country, touting it as a “turning point” for Australian home ownership. On Feb. 9, the Australian government announced that it would table new legislation to the parliament to establish the Housing Australia Future…

The Greens have said they will target the federal government’s National Housing Supply and Affordability Council after Housing Minister Julie Collins announced that the outgoing CEO of property developer Mirvac, Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz, will head up the interim body. Max-Chandler Mather, the Greens spokesperson for Housing and Homelessness, said the decision to appoint a property developer as…

Australia’s housing minister has turned down calls to raise support payments to help vulnerable tenants cope with surging rents. This came after a report by the Productivity Commission indicated that government rent assistance payments failed to keep up with the ballooning rental market. The commission suggested the federal government peg support payments to rents or frequently…

Regional Australians having difficulty getting into the housing market may be able to access a new federal government grant from October 1. In July, the Labor government introduced the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee (RFHBG) scheme as an expansion of the Home Guarantee Scheme in an effort to boost home ownership in the country. The…