ACTU pushes to double rental standard, lift public housing construction rate
One in ten new homes built would be public housing and Australia’s standard rental lease doubled to two years under measures put to the federal government by the nation’s peak union body.
In 2021, 2.9 million Australian households were renters, with the prospect a more financially viable option compared to home ownership, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
The Australian Trade Council of Unions is pushing Labor to amend its national rental framework to require landlords to offer at least two years of housing security as the default standard.
This change – designed to ease the financial pressures of moving homes repeatedly – would also include stronger protections against unfair evictions and rent gouging.
“Nurses, teachers and other workers are living with the yearly uncertainty that comes with constant rent hikes and one-year leases being the standard option,” ACTU President Michele O’Neil said in a statement.
“Our housing system should reflect the reality that millions of working people are renters.”
The ACTU is also pushing for the government to establish a new public housing target that would lift the construction rate from 1 in 50 new homes to 1 in 10.
If implemented, this would bring Australia’s public housing construction rate to the same level as it was under the Hawke government.
“If we’re serious about fixing the housing crisis, we must increase public housing stock to free up homes in the private rental market and make renting more affordable for everyone,” Ms O’Neil said.
“Using modern construction methods such as factory-built modular housing can deliver high-quality homes faster at lower cost and greater scale.
“Governments must all step up and tackle Australia’s housing crisis with the ambition it needs.
“We need more homes, stronger rights for renters, faster construction and renewed investment in public housing.”
Originally published as ACTU pushes to double rental standard, lift public housing construction rate
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