Limiting or scrapping negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount would help take the heat out of the market and give the government much more money to invest in social housing.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on rental prices
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Most research on unaffordable housing has focused on homeownership, but rental affordability is also a serious issue.
Government action to control rents isn’t unprecedented. Menzies did it in the second world and subsequent state measures kept rents in check for decades. Now extreme circumstances justify it again.
Australia’s renters have been given a six-month moratorium from evictions for not paying rent. Some states and territories are offering other assistance.
After paying rent, more than half of low-income tenants don’t have enough left over for other essentials. And the latest evidence shows nearly half of them are stuck in this situation for years.
Short-term letting via digital platforms benefits some in the market at the expense of others. Closer regulation might be needed in Melbourne and Sydney, where a permissive approach prevails.
A new report shows how the private rental sector is changing.
There is a risk that affordable housing policy may be colonised by for-profit interests if Australia imports the wrong rental housing ideas from overseas.
Analysis of rents in Sydney shows that local residents are benefiting from the lockout laws, thanks to new entertainment hubs and nightlife.
Top contributors
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Senior Research Fellow, City Futures Research Centre, UNSW Sydney
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Associate Professor of Economics, University of Technology Sydney
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Professor of Housing Research and Policy, and Associate Director, City Futures Research Centre, UNSW Sydney
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Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology
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Senior Lecturer in Urbanism, University of Sydney
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Lecturer in Sustainability and Urban Planning, RMIT University
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Assistant Professor, Edwards School of Business, University of Saskatchewan
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Co-Director, Bankruptcy and Insolvency Scholarship Unit, University of Adelaide
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Associate Professor, Hill and Levene Schools of Business, University of Regina
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Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Adelaide
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Senior Lecturer in City Planning, UNSW Sydney
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Alan Morris is a Friend of The Conversation.
Professor, Institute for Public Policy and Governance, University of Technology Sydney
