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Rental stress is rising across the country, and one organisation says it’s evidence that more investment in social housing is urgently needed.
Everybody’s Home, a campaign targeted at promoting housing affordability in Australia, has released heatmaps revealing the Australian electorates where renters are under the most stress when it comes to making housing payments.
The reports showed that voters living in Australia’s three largest cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are under the greatest amount of pressure, with rental worries affecting between 40 per cent to 70 per cent of residents across a majority of districts.
Those in coastal and regional communities where wage stagnation has been keenly felt also report high levels of rental stress.
Across the three states housing Australia’s largest cities, renters experiencing the highest levels of rent anxiety lived in these districts:
NSW
Macarthur – 76.5 per cent
Chifley – 73.6 per cent
Mitchell –73 per cent
Barton – 70.5 per cent
Robertson – 70 per cent
Queensland
Bowman – 59.8 per cent
Forde – 57.8 per cent
Wright – 57 per cent
Petrie – 53.5 per cent
Oxley – 52.9 per cent
Victoria
Bruce – 64 per cent
Calwell – 63.3 per cent
Holt – 63.1 per cent
Lalor – 62.9 per cent
McEwen – 61.5 per cent
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Kate Colvin said this data served to show why further investment in social housing is needed from a federal level.
The organisation joined with 150 other entities involved in the housing and homelessness sectors in releasing an open letter to Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, asking him to prioritise social housing in the next budget announcement.
“There is no time to waste, we need an urgent commitment from the Treasurer to invest in social housing in the upcoming federal budget. Millions of Australians are counting on it,” Ms Colvin said.
“Incomes are not keeping up with surging housing costs. This is no longer an issue which impacts only those on modest incomes or those living in the major cities. Middle income Australians can’t keep up with rent and mortgage payments. Regional communities are also experiencing housing crises never seen before,” she said.
The letter asks Mr Frydenberg to consider how greater funding for social housing would contribute to easing housing stress across the country, as well as deliver an injection to the economy.
“Investing in social housing is more than just providing everyone a place to call home. It will also provide our economy with a significant economic boost. Building just 25,000 social and affordable homes per year would generate annual economic output of $12.7 billion and create 15,700 jobs,” Ms Colvin said.
“The upcoming federal budget represents a unique opportunity for Treasurer Josh Frydenberg which cannot be wasted. Failure to deliver more social housing will further exacerbate what is already a developing social crisis.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juliet Helmke
Based in Sydney, Juliet Helmke has a broad range of reporting and editorial experience across the areas of business, technology, entertainment and the arts. She was formerly Senior Editor at The New York Observer.
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