Australia

Life as an older renter, and what it tells us about the urgent need for tenancy reform

Reform in the private rental sector is essential. Growing numbers of Australians rent their housing and increasing proportions are expected to rent long-term. This makes it essential that private rental housing meets the need that every person has for a secure and affordable home. It is getting harder for older renters to find adequate, appropriate and secure housing.
2018

Rental stress: Shock as Hobart becomes Australia's least affordable city

Hobart has leapfrogged Sydney to become Australia’s least affordable city according to new figures, as city renters continue to struggle. The latest Rental Affordability Index (RAI) shows that Hobart has overtaken Sydney to become the least affordable capital city, followed by Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra and Perth.
2018
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Older women, migrants swell the number of Australia's homeless

The number of people who are homeless in Australia has soared by almost 15 per cent, with newly released Census data showing people living in “severely” overcrowded dwellings are the greatest contributors to this increase. More than 116,400 Australians were homeless on Census night in 2016 – compared to 102,400 in 2011, new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals.
2018

Ageing and Homelessness: Solutions for a growing problem

An ageing population and growing levels of housing stress will increase the number of people at risk of ageing in to homelessness. One in six people aged over 55 who received help from a homelessness service reported having financial difficulties. Appropriate housing that is truly affordable is a key part of the solution.
2017

No place like home: The impact of declining home ownership on retirement

Australia’s retirement income system has long implicitly taken it for granted that the vast majority of retired people will have very low housing costs – in turn reflecting a presumption that most of them will own their own homes, and will have fully paid down any mortgage debt taken on in order to finance the original acquisition of their homes; and that those who have been unable to become home-
2017

Why older Australians don’t downsize and the limits to what the government can do about it

Encouraging senior Australians to downsize their homes is one of the more popular ideas to make housing more affordable. The trouble is, incentives for downsizing would hit the budget, but make little difference to housing affordability. This article looks at government incentives that could release housing stock without financially penalising older home owners.
2017

Cohousing for Seniors: Literature Review

This literature review discusses key demographic and social trends in ageing and seniors housing in Australia. It then considers the characteristics of cohousing, and how and why it might be a suitable alternative housing model for senior Australians.
2017

Is Housing a Health Insult?

Abstract: In seeking to understand the relationship between housing and health, research attention is often focussed on separate components of people’s whole housing ‘bundles’.
2017

It's Time for Federal Regulation of Retirement Villages

As Australia’s population ages, increasing numbers of seniors move to a growing number of retirement villages.
2017

Retirement Villages Approaching Capacity - Where Will Our Seniors Live?

Occupancy of retirement villages in Australia is close to capacity, highlighting the forthcoming shortage of age appropriate housing for senior Australians in their local communities.
2017
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