Briefs

The 2019 Productivity Commission report into Government Services reveals that young people who are receiving CRA are more likely to be in housing affordability stress (HAS) than any other age or special needs group. Indeed, 57.4 per cent of young people aged 24 years or under receiving CRA are in housing affordability stress, compared to 27.4 per cent of people aged 75 years or older receiving CRA who are in housing affordability stress.

Mortgage stress’, ‘rental stress’ and ‘housing affordability stress’ are terms often used in the media to describe people experiencing financial strain in the housing system, but what do the terms really mean?

Providing social housing to households in need requires government to fill the ‘funding gap’—but what is a funding gap and what are the ways to fund it? AHURI research consistently shows that regardless of which funding or financing model is used to provide social housing, its supply is dependent on some form of government subsidy.

While 384,700 households across Australia were housed in social housing in 2016 (4.4% of all households), an even greater number were in need of it—estimated to be around 433,000 households (5% of all households).

With median house prices declining in Australia, there has been debate about potentially reforming negative gearing, and with a federal election looming in early 2019 this debate will likely grow.