Briefs

A campaign called ‘The Home Stretch’, that aims to reduce homelessness by increasing the age young people can stay in foster care to 21, has been successful in South Australia and Tasmania (both have announced plans to extend care) and is now working towards the same reform in Victoria and NSW.

While Australian state and territory governments do not have unified residential tenancy laws, there has been some debate about no grounds evictions and improving security of tenure for renters. The policy debate centres upon finding a fair balance between the rights of property owners to be free to do what they wish with their property, with the rights of tenants who are paying for the service of safe and secure housing (i.e. their home).

The Housing First model is a strategic response to homelessness that prioritises permanent and stable housing for people experiencing homelessness. Beginning in the USA in the 1990s, the model has been taken up by several European countries, Canada, and recently the New Zealand Government announced a homelessness package which included NZ$63.4 million (AUS$58.6 million) towards Housing First programs

A new report by the Australian Institute of Family Studies investigated the costs associated with bringing up children and found that ‘the largest single contribution to the overall family budget in all cases was housing costs’.

Recent analysis and media coverage suggests that the current house price boom means young Australians are likely to be financially worse off than their parents, and that more first-home buyers are relying on their parents’ wealth than ever before. Just how many first home buyers are relying on intergenerational wealth transfers, either through cash transfers or through inheritance, and how are they benefiting?