A Senate inquiry report out today must be a turning point for renters, Everybody’s Home said, as the campaign urges the federal government to turbocharge social housing and limit rent increases.
The Select Committee on Intergenerational Housing Inequity has made 10 findings including that the housing crisis is affecting every generation and fuelling inequality.
Across party lines, the committee agreed that many elements of the housing crisis arise from the decline in investment in public housing, and it must be addressed by more investment in these rentals.
The committee also found that rent increases have outpaced wages growth by several multiples, and that too many Australians live in real anxiety about maintaining a safe roof over their heads and affording rent.
Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said rents have been rising for years and there’s no end in sight.
“Renters have been forced to pay higher and higher rents for years. The odds of being pushed into housing stress or turning to homelessness services for help have never been higher,” Ms Azize said.
“Renters can never catch a break. No matter whether interest rates rise or fall, renters still cop rent hikes year on year.