The latest annual Rental Affordability Snapshot released today by Anglicare Australia again highlights the dire shortage of affordable rental homes and the need for more urgent government intervention.
ACT Independent Senator David Pocock said in the ACT region the snapshot showed there were no rental listings available (including sharehouses) that would be considered affordable for:
- single retirees on the age pension
- a person on the JobSeeker payment, including single parents
- a person on youth allowance (the lowest of all income support payments)
The snapshot found that a single person working full-time on the minimum wage would find just one percent of listed rentals affordable.
For couples and families on income support payments or working for the minimum wage just 2 and 13 per cent of available properties respectively were considered affordable.
Anglicare said the results showed the private rental market was failing people on low incomes and that “young people are at the bottom of the affordability ladder.”
Senator Pocock said that data reinforced that major party policy responses to the housing affordability crisis haven’t gone far enough.
“Anglicare Australia’s rental affordability snapshot underscores how urgently we need the next government to further increase supply as well as the base rates of income support payments so people can afford a place to live,” Senator Pocock said.
“Labor has done more than the Coalition in terms of investing in new social and community housing but even this investment falls short of what’s needed to make housing affordable.
“That whole groups of Australians, from young people on youth allowance to single retirees can’t afford a single rental listing is a completely unsustainable situation.
“The major parties also need to find the courage to front up to a sensible debate on property tax reform, how we treat AirBnBs and incentivise the states and territories to do more on stamp duty, planning and rental standards.
“Above all, we need a long-term plan to improve housing affordability and homelessness that coordinates efforts across different levels of government and to start treating housing as a human right. I have a bill that would do this and if returned will keep pushing in the next parliament to make this happen.”
The Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee, an expert independent body legislated following an agreement with Senator Pocock, has recommended substantially increasing the rate of income support payments and Commonwealth Rent Assistance in each of its first three reports, highlighting the longer term social and economic benefits of doing this. Last week 74 independent and minor party candidates joined this call from ACOSS and a long list of civil society organisations and economists.
The full Anglicare Australia 2025 Rental Affordability Snapshot is available here.
Senator Pocock’s full suite of 2025 campaign housing policies is available here.