MEDIA RELEASE: Anglicare’s rental snapshot shows housing must be election priority

29/04/2019

Anglicare’s Rental Affordability Snapshot released today shows Australia’s national housing crisis is still at its peak for renters and needs urgent attention from all parties ahead of the election on May 18.

National housing campaign Everybody’s Home is calling for a national strategy to provide the shortfall of 500,000 social and affordable homes need in Australia by 2036,

Anglicare’s snapshot shows that just 2 per cent of rental properties are affordable for a single person working full time on a minimum wage, and 3 out of 4 rental properties are out of the reach of a couple who are both earning a minimum wage, with two young children.

Just 3.2 per cent properties are affordable for a couple on the Aged Pension and just 2 properties in the whole country are affordable for a job seeker surviving on Newstart.

Everybody’s Home campaign spokesperson Kate Colvin said more than 800,000 Australian households are living in rental stress, with working families struggling to find homes in almost every part of the country.

“If people are working day in, day out and still can’t afford to rent a home and our Aged pensioners have nowhere safe and affordable to live then our housing system is still clearly very broken,” Ms Colvin said.

“Anglicare’s snapshot shows that our private rental market is failing Australians of every generation, in every part of the country – from people with disability, to aged pensioners to people just trying to keep a roof over their head while they look for work or get by on a minimum wage.

“At the same time governments are investing less every year on social housing, which means that people struggling in the private rental market have nowhere else to go.

“We know how to fix the housing system – but we need all parties to making it a priority if they win on May 18.”

Everybody’s Home is calling for 300,000 new social and Aboriginal housing properties; and 200,000 low cost rental properties (affordable housing) for low and middle income earners.

“Every Australian has a right to a home that is secure and they can afford. We need bipartisan support to fix the broken housing system in Australia so that it works for everyone,” Ms Colvin said.

Media enquiries: Jenny Stokes 0478 504 280

The Everybody’s Home campaign has united more than 200 organisations across the not for profit housing, homelessness and community sectors and the nation’s largest charities in calling for leaders to fix Australia’s housing system so that everybody has a home.