Most Australian voters want the government to reduce tax breaks for property investors and put more money into social housing, according to new polling.
It comes as new analysis from Everybody’s Home also found that these tax breaks have fuelled a landlord boom with more than one million now reaping the benefits, yet housing affordability has never been worse.
The polling conducted for The Australia Institute in March found of the 1,502 Australians surveyed:
The Senate inquiry report into the capital gains tax discount adds to mounting evidence that the investor tax break is making Australia’s housing crisis worse, with social housing advocates warning the federal government can not afford to delay reform.
The report handed down on Tuesday highlighted that the CGT discount, in combination with negative gearing, is driving up home prices and worsening inequality, while foregoing much-needed revenue that could fund social housing.
The report also included warnings against grandfathering and carving out exclusions for different assets in the reforms, which would worsen inequity and weaken the impact on housing affordability.
Last month, Everybody’s Home analysis of organisation submissions to the inquiry found more than seven in 10 want the investor tax break to be abolished or reformed.
Around half of all organisation submissions supported or raised the idea of redirecting the billions in savings toward building affordable rentals.
Everybody’s Home, Australian Council of Social Service, Tenants’ Union of NSW and Better Renting said appetite for tax reform is growing and the government has no excuse not to act.
The groups are urging the government to wind back the capital gains tax discount and negative gearing, and use the billions in savings to build more public and community housing.
Social housing has emerged as a top priority for capital gains tax reform, with half of all organisation submissions to a Senate inquiry backing or raising the idea of redirecting the billions in savings toward building affordable rentals.
Ahead of hearings kicking off today, Everybody’s Home has analysed the submissions and found that more than seven in 10 organisations want the investor tax break to be abolished or reformed.
The hearings will be held in Melbourne today, followed by Canberra and Sydney later this week.
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said: “These responses show strong support for winding back tax breaks that reward property investors while renters fall further behind.
“The capital gains tax discount is unfair, and it’s making the housing crisis worse. It lines the pockets of investors and pushes up the cost of homes, benefiting people on the highest incomes. It is locking everyday people out of homes they can afford.
“Experts, community organisations and frontline services across the country see the impact of these tax breaks every day. When more than seven in ten groups tell the Senate this tax break should go or be wound back, the message couldn’t be clearer.
“People want tax reform that actually makes homes more affordable. Many of the organisations backing change want the savings to be used to build more public and community homes – rentals that people can actually afford.
Frontline organisations responding to Australia’s housing crisis are operating at breaking point, reporting sustained increases in demand, escalating complexity, and diminishing capacity to help, according to Everybody’s Home.
The national housing campaign’s ‘No Way Out’ sector survey of dozens of frontline organisations found nine in ten (89%) reported increased workloads over the past year, while almost all (98%) expect demand for their services to rise further in 2026.
More than four in five (82%) organisations reported the housing crisis is either significantly affecting their daily operations or severely threatening the effectiveness of their programs.
The crisis is increasingly affecting the workforce itself, with seven in ten frontline organisations (71%) reporting increased stress or burnout among their workforce, while more than three quarters (78%) said housing insecurity is impacting their staff or volunteers.
Almost three-quarters (72%) said the increased workload has contributed to staff turnover in the past year, and more than one quarter of respondents (27%) said they’d considered leaving their role due to workload or housing-related pressures.
Everybody’s Home is pleased to see reports that the Albanese Government is considering winding back the capital gains tax discount for property investors.
Media reports today suggest the government is considering scaling back the 50 per cent CGT deduction as it prepares for a “significant reform” budget in May.
The national housing campaign has consistently been calling on the government to abolish the CGT discount and negative gearing – property investor tax breaks that cost taxpayers billions of dollars annually and make the housing crisis worse.
“Tax breaks for property investors are making the housing crisis worse and everyday Australians are paying the price. Lining the pockets of investors largely benefits higher income earners and makes housing more expensive for everyone else,” Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said.
“The federal government spends billions more on property investor tax breaks than on providing rentals that people can actually afford. That is the opposite of what we need to do to fix the housing crisis.
“What matters now is whether any changes actually help fix the housing crisis. That means changes big enough to stop fuelling speculation and to free up money to build the public and community homes that Australia desperately needs – not just small tweaks that raise money for the budget.
New data shows Australia’s housing and homelessness crisis is worsening, prompting calls to curb property investor tax breaks and build more social homes.
The Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services released today shows that 41% of people waiting to get into public housing are homeless or at risk of homelessness – up from 26% in 2015.
New ROGS data shows:
Separate ACOSS analysis shows:
National housing campaign Everybody’s Home is urging the federal government to make 2026 the year it significantly stumps up funding to plug the social housing shortfall, as an affordable housing scheme comes to an end.
The National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS), designed to provide affordable rentals to people earning low and middle incomes, has been winding down since 2018 and is set to end in June 2026.
The latest federal figures reveal more than 4,500 affordable homes will exit NRAS this year – the final lot of the more than 36,000 affordable homes that have phased out of the scheme over the past decade.
The NRAS rentals will take years to be replaced by the 40,000 social and affordable homes set to be built under the federal government’s Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF).
According to Housing Australia, as of November 2025, 889 homes under the HAFF had been completed, with a further 9,501 described as under construction.
Confronting new analysis reveals renters in some of Australia’s capital cities are thousands of dollars worse off this Christmas compared to last, with Sydneysiders facing an extra $3,770 in rent annually.
Everybody’s Home has analysed SQM Research data on weekly asking rents to find the annual increase in rents from December 2024 to December 2025 across capital cities.
The analysis reveals renters in Sydney are paying an extra $72.50 per week to rent a house this year compared to last year, adding up to $3,770 extra annually, while unit renters face an additional $2,109.
Brisbane renters are paying $2,839 extra annually for a house, while renters in Perth are facing an additional $2,639.
On average across the capital cities, renters are paying $2,567 more annually to rent a house compared to last year, and an additional $1,823 to rent a unit.
The only capital city that is bucking the trend is Canberra where rent caps have kept increases significantly lower – just $0.79 extra per week to rent a house this Christmas compared to last.
Rent increases for units and houses
Reducing energy use is the most common sacrifice Australians are making to afford their rent or mortgage, while many are limiting driving, skipping meals and delaying medical appointments, a new national survey has exposed.
Everybody’s Home’s report ‘Breaking Point’ captures the results of a survey of more than 1,100 Australians. Of those surveyed:
Tax breaks for investors using homes as short-stay accommodation could be costing Australian taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars per year, according to a new report by Everybody’s Home.
The Short-Stay Subsidy report estimates that this financial year the budget could be losing between $111 million and $556 million in forgone revenue through negative gearing deductions claimed on short-stay rental properties.
Across Australia 167,955 entire homes are estimated to be operating as short-stay accommodation instead of long-term rentals, yet owners can still claim negative gearing and the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) discount.
The report found:
Billions of dollars in tax breaks that push up house prices and lock people out of a home must be wound back to tackle the housing crisis and productivity, a group of housing sector advocates, economists, and union leaders have urged the government.
In a letter to the Prime Minister and Treasurer, the group has called for negative gearing and the capital gains tax (CGT) discount to be on the table at this week’s economic reform roundtable, with savings to be invested in building public and community housing.
The letter has been signed by Everybody’s Home national spokesperson Maiy Azize, ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie AO, The Australia Institute Chief Economist Dr Greg Jericho, and ACTU Secretary Sally McManus.
Negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount are locking Australians out of secure, affordable homes. Reforming these would:
Everybody’s Home national spokesperson Maiy Azize said: “Every year, billions of taxpayer dollars are handed to property investors through negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount, with everyday Australians paying the price.
National housing campaign Everybody’s Home said pressure is mounting on the federal government to reform unfair investor tax breaks, as the union movement adds to growing national support.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has today called for the winding back of negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount as the government prepares to hold its economic reform roundtable this month.
The union’s call adds to mounting pressure from politicians, economists, think tanks, housing advocates and other organisations and experts demanding housing tax reform.
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said ending property investor tax concessions is good for housing affordability, wealth equality and productivity.
“The union movement is showing real leadership by calling for property tax breaks to be wound back. Workers across Australia are being priced out by investor breaks, so the union’s push for reform makes perfect sense,” Ms Azize said.
“These tax breaks most benefit those who don’t need it, while the majority of hardworking Australians pay the price. Billions of taxpayer dollars are lost every year to these tax breaks that are making housing more expensive for everyone – and making inequality worse
With property investor tax breaks costing billions every year, making housing more expensive and hindering productivity, Everybody’s Home is urging the government’s economic reform roundtable to make housing tax reform a top priority.
The national housing campaign’s submission to the roundtable, closing today, highlights the urgent need to reform negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount to boost productivity and repair the federal budget.
Investor tax concessions are expected to cost the budget more than $180 billion over the next decade while disproportionately benefiting high-income earners and driving up housing prices.
Everybody’s Home urges the roundtable to consider:
It comes amid growing calls from politicians, economists, and think tanks for the government to reform the capital gains tax discount on housing.
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azizie said: “It doesn’t make sense that we are losing billions of dollars every year through tax concessions that most benefit high-income earners, while everybody else is being pushed out of the housing market. Tax breaks for investors are widening the wealth inequality gap and pushing up the cost of housing for everybody else.
As politicians return to Canberra for the first sitting week of the new term, Everybody’s Home said the Albanese government has a chance to deliver a lasting legacy on housing or risk being remembered for letting it slip away.
The national housing campaign warns the housing crisis will get much worse if the government fails to deliver the investment and action needed to make homes more affordable for more Australians.
The call comes as Everybody’s Home’s new report, Out of Reach, shows that once-affordable cities are now suffering from some of the worst rental pressures in the country.
With rents surging 57% across capital cities over the past decade, and social housing declining to around 4% of all homes, the housing crisis has reached unprecedented levels that demand urgent government action.
As parliament starts for this new term, Everybody’s Home is calling on the government to:
Australia’s rental crisis has reached unprecedented levels with new data showing rents have increased by an average of 57 per cent across capital cities over the past decade.
The new report, titled Out of Reach, by national housing campaign Everybody’s Home has revealed that once-affordable cities have been hit the hardest.
It also shows that social housing has slipped to the lowest share on record, remaining stagnant at 4.1 per cent of all dwellings since the Labor government was elected in 2022. This is a further drop from 4.7 per cent a decade ago, putting even further strain on the rental market.
Key findings:
Almost seven in ten people who rent privately worry about asking for repairs in case they face a rent increase, according to research by the ACOSS/UNSW Sydney-led Poverty and Inequality Partnership, National Shelter and the National Association of Renter Organisations (NARO).
The study, which surveyed 1,019 people who rent in the private sector across Australia, also found a third of renters would be unable to afford their rent if it went up by 5%.
The report, titled Rights at risk: Rising rents and repercussions, found half of renters (50%) live in homes that need repairs and one in 10 need urgent repairs (10%).
Everybody’s Home looks forward to working constructively with the new Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness Andrew Bragg, and urges the Opposition to ditch discredited policies in favour of real solutions.
The national housing campaign is asking the Coalition to back serious solutions to Australia’s housing crisis and make affordability a top priority.
Everybody’s Home is calling on the shadow ministry to back:
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said: “Voters made it clear at this election that they expect the government to step up and help people by building homes that people can afford, not pushing failed ideas that will leave them worse-off in the long-run.
“We look forward to engaging constructively with the Opposition’s spokesperson for housing and homelessness, Senator Andrew Bragg. This is an opportunity for the Opposition to respond to what voters really want: real action on housing that makes homes affordable and secure.
Everybody’s Home has written to every newly elected Member of Parliament, urging them to make housing affordability a top priority in the next term of government.
The national housing campaign provided each MP with a detailed housing snapshot of their electorate, highlighting the scale of the crisis facing their local communities.
The data reveals alarming rates of homelessness, social housing shortfalls, and rising rental and mortgage stress in the very seats that flipped in this year’s federal election.
The electorate-level housing snapshots reveal:
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said: “Voters sent a clear message this election: they want real action on housing. This starts with MPs listening to what is happening in their own communities. We’ve given newly elected MPs a clear picture of what the housing crisis looks like on their doorstep and what needs to be done to fix it.
“New MPs have a responsibility to the people who elected them. These seats didn’t change by accident, people are demanding solutions to cost-of-living pressures, and housing is at the centre of it.
The State of the Housing System 2025 report is a sobering and necessary reminder to urgently invest in social housing and reform tax settings that fuel inequality, national housing campaign Everybody’s Home says.
The report, published today by the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council (NHSAC), found Australia’s housing system is failing to deliver secure, affordable homes.
Rental stress is at record highs, social housing is falling short of demand and access to a safe and affordable home is out of reach for many.
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azizie said: “This report echoes what Australians are feeling every day: the housing system is in crisis. The message is clear – we’re not building enough social housing and the tax system is stacked in favour of investors over people looking for a place to live.
“Australia is facing a severe housing crisis which demands immediate government action. This report is a stark wake up call and sends a clear message to all governments: they must find ways to build more social housing.
“The Council has recognised the need to build more social housing and grow it to 10 percent of all homes. This is something that Everybody’s Home has been saying for years – Australia’s housing stock is woefully inadequate to meet the needs of people right across the country.
The return of the Albanese government offers a chance to build on housing progress, with millions of Australians expecting bolder action this term, according to Everybody’s Home.
The national housing campaign said a Labor win shows that Australians have overwhelmingly rejected the Coalition’s approach to Australia’s housing crisis.
Everybody’s Home now looks forward to working with the Labor government, urging them to implement:
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said: “Everybody’s Home joins the rest of the sector in congratulating the Labor government on its re-election. This victory offers an opportunity to build on the work the government has done in its first term, including on housing.
“Australians have rejected the Coalition’s housing agenda, which offered policies that would make affordability worse. Raiding your superannuation to buy a home, allowing first-time buyers to deduct mortgage interest payments from their taxable income, and scrapping the Housing Australia Future Fund designed to build more social homes are clearly not vote winners.
With the federal election just days away, Everybody’s Home is calling on the next government to make a huge investment in public and community housing, as a new report underscores the stark reality of the housing crisis.
Anglicare’s Rental Affordability Snapshot for 2025 released today shows across Australia there were:
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said the housing crisis won’t end without a huge investment in social housing.
“The housing crisis is one of the most pressing issues facing Australians today and will be front of mind for many as they cast their votes this week,” Ms Azize said.
“People want an end to soaring rents, poor rental standards, and insecure housing. They want relief from housing stress and the constant threat of homelessness.
A survey of hundreds of Australians reveals that the majority oppose the Coalition’s Super for Housing policy, dismissing it as “short-sighted” and ineffective at solving the nation’s housing affordability crisis.
National housing campaign Everybody’s Home’s survey of 740 people shows 76 per cent of respondents oppose allowing first home buyers to access $50,000 from their superannuation for a housing deposit.
Respondents expressed deep concerns about the scheme’s potential to inflate housing prices, with three in four (75%) either extremely or very concerned that using an extra $50,000 of super savings would push house prices up.
Key findings from the survey include:
Everybody’s Home has called on the major parties to present more ambitious housing policies to Australians ahead of the election, warning that today’s announcements fall short of what is needed to end the country’s deepening crisis.
The Coalition is expected to propose a policy that would allow first home buyers of newly built properties to deduct their mortgage interest payments from their taxable income.
Meanwhile, Labor is proposing to allow all first home buyers to purchase a home with a five per cent deposit to avoid lenders mortgage insurance and will commit $10 billion to build 100,000 new homes for them.
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said: “The promises made by the major parties today fall well short of what’s needed to address the housing crisis — in fact, some elements could make it even worse.
“The Coalition’s proposal to allow mortgage payments to be tax deductible for first home buyers is a form of negative gearing for non-investors, a move that will give more help to people on high incomes and could push home prices even higher. To make housing more affordable, we need to get rid of tax breaks when it comes to property, not create more.
“Labor’s home deposit support for first-home buyers will also add to demand. Building 100,000 homes is a good step, but they aren’t guaranteed to be affordable. Australia doesn’t just need new homes, we need homes that people can actually afford.
The Coalition’s plan to scrap the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) will leave tens of thousands of Australians without a roof over their heads, as homelessness continues to soar and crisis services buckle under pressure.
A discussion paper modelling three future scenarios of the HAFF, by national housing campaign Everybody’s Home, shows the real-world human impact of political decisions on social housing.
With more than 76,000 Australians seeking support from homelessness services but missing out on long-term housing every year, the paper reveals:
*Assuming 2.5 people per household.
The modelling comes as Housing Minister Clare O’Neil calls on shadow minister Michael Sukkar to allow the government to continue approving HAFF projects during caretaker mode.
National housing campaign Everybody’s Home said the Coalition’s budget reply fails to fix the housing crisis and instead proposes policies that would make it worse.
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said: “The Coalition’s budget reply fails to offer solutions that will ease the housing crisis and fails to help everyday people who are struggling with housing stress.
“The Coalition’s housing plans are a step backwards that would push up the cost of housing. The Opposition has no plan to help the majority of renters and the growing number of people who’re being pushed into homelessness.
“The Coalition’s plan to encourage people to raid their superannuation to buy a home would make the deepening housing crisis even worse. It will drive house prices up, lock more people out of housing, and lower people’s retirement savings.
“It is unfair to ask the next generation to make sacrifices that their parents never had to think about. We should be bringing the cost of homes down, not pushing up costs and asking people to sacrifice their retirement savings.
“Super for Housing will largely benefit those already on the property ladder, and leave everyone else worse off.”
Ms Azize also said that Australia needs a major boost to social housing.
“Hundreds of thousands of people are in severe rental stress. They need social housing – but the Coalition is proposing to build even less by getting rid of the Housing Australia Future Fund.
National housing campaign Everybody’s Home has acknowledged the federal government’s housing measures in tonight’s budget but warns they fail to tackle the scale of the crisis.
With housing stress and homelessness deepening as sky-high rents continue to price Australians out, Everybody’s Home is urging all parties to deliver bold, ambitious commitments ahead of the election.
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said: “This federal budget has measures that may make housing more affordable for a small number of people but it doesn’t deliver solutions that will make housing more affordable for everybody.
“Expanding the Help to Buy scheme may help some, but it will not move the needle on the housing crisis which is affecting millions of Australians.
“The housing crisis is deepening and hurting more and more Australians. We need a response that matches the scale of the crisis. We need leaders that will take bold leaps forward.
“The election is an opportunity for the federal government to offer the ambitious, visionary, and transformative solutions that voters are crying out for.
Brisbane Greens MP Stephen Bates has warned Australia’s housing market is heading towards an economic cliff unless urgent national reforms are made to tackle soaring rents and a broken tax system.
Everybody’s Home hosted the third town hall in its online series with incumbent MPs on Tuesday, where Mr Bates described the crisis as “existential” and said it was impacting people across the country – including many in his electorate of Brisbane, where more than half are renters.
“No one is free from the housing crisis we’re facing in this country,” Mr Bates said. “We have people living out of their cars with their kids … these are public servants who are now in this position where they can’t afford the rent.”
Mr Bates said the current housing system was the result of decades of policy failure.
“This isn’t something that has just come out of nowhere, it’s something that has been building for decades now…we can trace a lot of it back to the slowdown in the build of public housing and tax reforms that were brought in under the Howard Government,” he said.
“We’ve transformed the idea of a house to be somewhere that you live and a home where you raise your family that is now something to be speculated on, and bought and sold … an investment class.”
Mr Bates said $176 billion is “essentially given out as a handout” to property investors in tax cuts while families are sleeping in their cars.
Australian renters now need an annual income of $130,000 to afford an average rental, with even six-figure earners facing housing costs exceeding 30 percent of their income in capital cities and many regional areas.
The 2025 Priced Out report by national housing campaign Everybody’s Home shows a single person needs to earn at least $130,000 per year to comfortably afford the national weekly asking rent for a typical unit. An even higher income is required to afford the average unit rent across capital cities.
The report, which analyses rental affordability for Australians earning between $40,000 and $130,000 per year, found rental stress has extended well beyond low-income earners.
An ACOSS report released today calls on all parties and candidates to support reforms to negative gearing and the 50% capital gains discount and invest the revenue raised in social and affordable housing after releasing analysis showing how the measures have supercharged inequality and contributed to the housing affordability crisis.
The report includes analysis showing that the wealthiest 10% of households hold two thirds of the value of investment property.
The ACOSS report also finds that competition for homes from investors increased dramatically following the introduction of the 50% capital gains tax discount in 1999. Investors led two surges in home prices – by 13% a year above inflation from 2001 to 2003 and by 6% a year from 2013 to 2017.
Since 1999, home prices have increased by 142%, while wages have only risen by 44%.
Contrary to the idea that encouraging investment is needed to generate new supply, 81% of investment loans are for existing properties.
Bennelong MP Jerome Laxale has vowed to fight for renters at an Everybody’s Home town hall designed to spotlight Australia’s deepening housing crisis ahead of the federal election.
On Tuesday, Everybody’s Home kicked off its series of online forums with incumbent MPs from key electorates, beginning with Mr Laxale.
Mr Laxale said: “There has been a huge shift in housing perception … It’s because of groups like [Everybody’s Home], and advocates … who are fighting for renters, like I do.
“It’s not always politicians who need to change their minds, the community also needs to change their mind. Politicians have a role to play but as important a role is to get a community-led campaign to advocate for more change, that comes down to persistence and passion.”
Mr Laxale also warned against proposals for first homebuyers to pay for a deposit through their super.
“People under the age of 40 don’t have $50,000 in their super to raid. It will mean the country and the individual will be worse off by withdrawing from their super,” Mr Laxale said.
“Super is for retirement, it’s not a piggy-bank on the side…we know from world experience across the ditch that it doesn’t help with housing affordability and will leave individuals worse off in the long run.”
Mr Laxale said Labor’s main housing priority is to build more homes.
“It’s been a rocky road to get housing policies through parliament … but our focus is the delivery of homes and we will do what we can,” he said.
New polling in key federal electorates reveals voters strongly prefer spending on affordable homes over investor tax breaks like negative gearing, by a ratio of 2.5 to 1.
Commissioned by Everybody’s Home, uComms polled more than 2,500 voters across Bennelong (NSW), Brisbane (Qld), Cowan (WA) and Kooyong (Vic), in February, highlighting a strong disconnect between voter priorities and political solutions to the housing crisis.
The poll shows:
Frontline organisations supporting people impacted by Australia’s housing crisis have faced their worst summer on record, experiencing an unprecedented surge in demand, according to Everybody’s Home.
The national housing campaign’s ‘Under Pressure’ sector survey of dozens of frontline organisations found that nearly nine in ten (87%) had a major increase in workload during December and January compared to previous years, due to the worsening housing crisis.
The vast majority (98%) of organisations—including those in housing, homelessness, domestic violence, and other social and community services—reported increased workloads over the past year and expect demand to keep rising in 2025.
As a result of soaring demand for their help, three in four (76%) organisations reported more complex casework, seven in ten (72%) cited increased waitlists, while two in three (67%) said they’ve been unable to provide clients with long-term housing solutions. Three in five (63%) reported staff burnout and attrition as a major impact.
National housing campaign Everybody’s Home is calling for greater financial support for renters on the lowest incomes, as new figures reveal that more than two in five rent assistance recipients remain in rental stress despite rises to the payment.
The latest Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services shows nearly 42 per cent of low-income households that received Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) were still paying more than 30 per cent of their income on rent in 2023-24.
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize emphasised that the figures highlight the urgent need to reform CRA, and increase the rate of Centrelink payments, to better support renters who’re doing it tough.
“The fact that more than two in five people who receive rent assistance are still in rental stress highlights the extreme cost of rents and the low rate of JobSeeker,” Ms Azize said.
Shocking new analysis reveals that renters in some of Australia’s capital cities are thousands of dollars worse off this Christmas, with annual rents up to $3,600 higher than a year ago.
Everybody’s Home has analysed SQM Research weekly asking rents data, which has shown the alarming annual rise in rents (December 2023 to December 2024) that is smashing Australians in capital cities.
The analysis shows renters in capital cities are paying an average of $1,593 more annually to rent a house compared to last year, while people in units are paying an additional $1,084.
Adelaide renters living in units have copped the biggest annual surge, paying $3,634 extra this year, followed by Perth renters in houses who are paying an additional $2,985.
The federal government must prioritise ending Australia’s massive social housing shortfall, Everybody’s Home said, as a new report reveals housing stress is the fastest growing main factor triggering homelessness.
This year’s Australian Homelessness Monitor reports a 36 percent rise in new service users citing housing affordability stress as their primary reason for seeking support from homelessness services in the three years to 2023-24.
The research by UNSW in partnership with Homelessness Australia also found that in recent years, the risk of homelessness has been affecting a broader range of people, with an increasing proportion of workers seeking crisis support.
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said: “Australia’s worsening housing crisis is fueling the rise in homelessness. People simply cannot afford insanely high rents week after week – it’s pushing many into housing stress, leading them to sleep in cars or improvised dwellings, and on couches or the streets.
A new report revealing the unaffordability of housing for Australia’s essential workers underscores the urgent need for bold government action to end the crisis, Everybody’s Home said.
Released on Anti-Poverty Week (13-19 October), Anglicare’s special edition of the Rental Affordability Snapshot shows less than one percent of rentals are affordable for full-time workers in hospitality, construction and early childhood.
Even workers with the highest award wages could only afford 3.7 percent of rentals.
A statement from Everybody’s Home: “From essential workers, to people on the lowest incomes, millions of people are struggling to afford their biggest cost-of-living expense: rent. Housing stress and homelessness are far too high in our wealthy country.
New analysis reveals that renters living in Australia’s capital cities are spending on average nearly $15,000 more a year to rent a house since the pandemic.
To kick off the first day of Anti-Poverty Week (13-19 October), Everybody’s Home has analysed SQM Research weekly asking rents data, showing the shocking annual rise in rents that have been smashing Australians across the country since January 2020.
The analysis shows renters in capital cities are on average paying $14,700 more a year to rent a house, and $9,600 more a year to rent a unit compared to the beginning of 2020.
Sydney and Perth have seen the steepest rent rises, with the annual increase well above the capital city average for both units and houses. Adelaide and Brisbane unit rents are also above the capital city average.
A new Everybody’s Home report reveals that Australians on the lowest incomes are being priced out of renting in virtually every corner of the country, despite a rise in Centrelink payments and rent assistance.
The ‘Priced Out’ 2024 report shows people who primarily rely on Centrelink payments and the full-time minimum wage would be in severe rental stress across all capital cities and most regional areas.
The report applies Friday’s indexation increase to Centrelink payments and 10 percent rise to Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) with indexation on top, with the findings underscoring the need for more social housing and for payments to reflect the cost of housing.
Key findings include:
Everybody’s Home is urging parties and candidates to sign on to a roadmap for housing reform ahead of the election, as new polling reveals most voters want house prices to drop.
The national housing campaign’s ‘Roadmap to Reform’ puts forward real solutions to end Australia’s housing crisis.
RedBridge polling of 2,000 Australian voters released by Everybody’s Home reveals:
The polling also finds:
The People’s Commission into the Housing Crisis has released its final report, revealing the crushing consequences of homelessness, housing stress and insecurity in Australia, and recommending a suite of urgent reforms.
Convened by Everybody’s Home, the People’s Commission’s report is based on the submissions and testimony of more than 1,500 Australians who voiced their experiences of the housing crisis and the action they want government to take.
The People’s Commission recommends the federal government create at least 750,000 social homes within two decades, end investor tax concessions, and coordinate strong national rental reform.
Other recommendations include: expanding social housing eligibility, recognising housing as a human right, raising the rate of working age payments, additional funding for crisis housing services, and improving productivity in home building by increasing the capacity of the modular housing industry.
Everybody’s Home has acknowledged the appointment of Australia’s new housing and homelessness minister, and said it presented a renewed opportunity to scale up the government’s ambition on housing.
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said: “A new minister presents an opportunity to build on the government’s plans for housing. We look forward to working with Minister Clare O’Neil on what we hope will be an ambitious policy agenda ahead of the next federal election.
“Housing is one the biggest issues for voters – there’s not much more important to the electorate than a home but securing safe, decent, affordable housing has never been so tough for them.
“Today, we’re writing to Minister O’Neil welcoming her appointment and briefing her on the recent findings of Australia’s first People’s Commission into the Housing Crisis. The People’s Commission has underscored the extent of the housing crisis across the country, with hundreds of Australians telling us they want urgent action.
“Australians are relying on the government to be bold in their ambition. To make a lasting impact we must drastically scale up social housing to meet the 640,000 shortfall.
“The government must also prioritise housing fairness by scrapping investor tax breaks and coordinating protections for renters.
“Making housing more affordable for more Australians is possible if the government has the ambition and the willingness to act.”
Everybody’s Home is urging the government to rapidly step up its efforts to ease the housing crisis, as new figures reveal the stubbornly slow growth and low proportion of social housing in Australia.
New Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data shows the proportion of households living in social housing is shrinking – dropping from 4.7 percent in 2013 to 4.1 percent in 2023.
Meanwhile, the number of social homes grew by just 2,870 between June 2022 and June 2023 – all while more than 184,000 households officially sat on a waitlist.
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said the glacial pace of social housing growth is failing to meet demand.
“Australia is only building about 3,000 social homes every year – at this rate, it would take us more than 200 years to build enough homes just to meet today’s need,” Ms Azize said.
A fresh analysis reveals Australian renters are spending thousands more each year to keep a roof over their heads since the pandemic, as the final day of the People’s Commission into the Housing Crisis hearings get underway.
Everybody’s Home’s analysis of SQM Research weekly asking rents data shows those in regional Australia are on average spending $153 more each week compared to June 2020 – that’s nearly $8,000 extra per year at current rental prices.
Today, the national housing campaign will hold the third and final day of People’s Commission hearings online from 10am Tuesday to explore the housing crisis’ effect on the following communities: First Nations, regional, remote, and disaster-impacted.
Recommendations to fix the crisis will also be explored.
Top 10 regional areas hit with the largest $ rental increase since June 2020
As Australia’s first People’s Commission into the Housing Crisis gets underway today, submissions reveal the majority of respondents are in housing stress and forgoing the basics to cope.
The People’s Commission, convened by Everybody’s Home, received more than 1,500 survey submissions which show:
Dozens of organisations have also lodged submissions to the People’s Commission.
Statement from Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize on the federal Budget:
“The federal government has delivered a Budget that will keep pushing up housing costs for Australians who are already battling a brutal housing market.
“There is no new funding for social housing. What the government has announced is a business as usual spend that is nowhere near enough to shift the dial on the housing crisis.
“The government’s ‘new’ funding for social housing is a repackaging of existing initiatives, offering loans instead of providing real funding, and the continuation of a funding agreement with the states and territories – something the Commonwealth routinely renews for other essential services like education and health.
“An increase to Commonwealth Rent Assistance will provide some short-term relief, but it’s not a lasting fix. It isn’t enough to keep up with rising rents, and it doesn’t go to all of the people who need it.
“If the government was serious about tackling this crisis, it would build more social housing to end the massive shortfall. These are the rentals people can actually afford. A target for the private sector will only deliver more of the same – homes that are way too expensive for average people.
“Any Budget that seriously tackles the housing crisis would also stop using unfair tax handouts to prop up landlords and investors, pushing up the cost of housing for everyone else. The Treasurer ruled out making those changes well ahead of Budget day.
Everybody’s Home has urged the federal government to increase its social housing target and back it up with funding in next week’s Budget if it’s serious about easing the crisis.
Right now, just three percent of homes that the government wants Australia to build over the next five years are set to be social housing.
As the government confronts warnings it will fail to meet its 1.2 million housing target, Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said building more social housing was essential.
“If the government is serious about making housing affordable, it must step up and build social housing,” Azize said.
“It’s clear that the private market can’t meet the government’s target, and their track record shows us that these homes won’t be affordable for most people. Social housing is guaranteed to be affordable for people – and at scale, it pushes down the cost of housing for everyone.
“The government describes its national housing target as ambitious, but it’s lacking ambition when it comes to bringing down the cost of housing. Only three percent of their target will be social housing.
“There is no use building homes that people can’t afford. The government must end the social housing shortfall – and aim for 10 percent of all homes in Australia to be social housing.
“We need a Budget that matches the scale of this crisis. Housing in Australia has never been so unaffordable and unfair. Without a huge increase in social housing, it will only get worse.”
Everybody’s Home is urging the federal government to boost social housing in its upcoming Budget, as a new report paints a dire picture of rental affordability across the country.
Anglicare’s Rental Affordability Snapshot lays bare a harsh reality: affordable rentals are almost non-existent for those on income support, and scarce for full-time minimum wage earners.
The report also shows increases to rental supply in parts of the country hasn’t made renting more affordable.
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Jennifer Kirkaldy said more social housing is key to easing the housing crisis.
“Every year the Rental Affordability Snapshot serves as a sobering reminder: the housing crisis deepens the longer that the government fails to act,” Ms Kirkaldy said.