News

The number of households eligible to receive Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) is estimated to rise from 952,000 in 2011 to 1.5 million in 2031, a 61 per cent increase, new AHURI research has found.

With memories of the circumstances that led to the GFC, it might seem that current investors would be interested in reducing their debt and financial risks. However AHURI research reveals that property investors with mortgage debt increased their consumption (that is the amount they borrowed or spent) after the GFC suggesting such investors are not as risk-averse as other homeowners.

Australia’s Commonwealth, State and Territory Housing and Homelessness Ministers met in Adelaide recently to discuss a range of issues, including affordable housing; the new housing and homelessness agreement in the Commonwealth Government’s 2017–18 Budget; and remote housing.

A new AHURI study has found that people who own or are paying off their home move less often than people who are renting privately, and this reduced mobility reduces their ability to respond to adverse labour market shocks (such as being made redundant) and may lead to higher rates of unemployment.

As part of the 2017-18 Budget, the Treasurer Scott Morrison has announced the creation of an affordable housing bond aggregator, the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC), to raise money at lower rates from the wholesale bond market for not-for-profit community housing providers.