Anglicare Australia has released its annual Rental Affordability Snapshot, revealing a dire situation across the nation's rental market.
The survey, which covered 45,115 rental listings, found that only 289 rentals were affordable for a person earning a full-time minimum wage, with the figures plummeting further for those on government support.
“The housing crisis is the worst it’s ever been,” said Kasy Chambers, executive director of Anglicare Australia. “This is not hyperbole. It is Australia’s new normal.”
The snapshot highlighted a grim reality for those on social security benefits.
Only 89 rentals were affordable for individuals on the Age Pension, 31 for those on the Disability Support Pension, and a mere three rentals – all share houses – were affordable for JobSeeker recipients. No rentals were found to be affordable for individuals on Youth Allowance.
Chambers emphasised the dire state of affordability.
“Even couples with both partners working full-time are locked out of nearly 90% of rentals,” she said in a media release.
Chambers slammed the current approach of relying on the private sector for housing solutions, highlighting that the government spends significantly more on incentives for private investors than on constructing public housing.
“We found that the government spends eight times as much propping up private investors as it does on building housing itself,” she said. “This approach is wrong, and it’s supercharging rents and house prices.”
Chambers is calling on the government to pivot towards building housing directly and reforming the tax system to alleviate the housing crisis.
The Anglicare report advocates for a radical shift in policy: instead of subsidising private landlords, the government should invest in building affordable housing, it said.
“Housing cannot be left to hobby landlords and private developers,” Chambers said. “Only our government can ensure that rentals are affordable by building homes itself, and by fixing Australia’s unfair tax system.”
She said that without significant action in the upcoming budget, the situation is likely to worsen, stressing the urgency of government intervention in the housing market.
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