By Jeremy Cook
With the number of vacant rental properties at almost record lows and weekly rents continuing to rise, one housing advocate has renewed calls for greater investment in social housing across regional Australia.
Housing supply, or lack thereof, has emerged as a key issue in regional communities, including the Southern Downs where it is expected to form the basis for considerable debate in the lead up to next month’s council election.
Rental markets have remained tight for the region with vacancy rates sitting at 0.2 per cent in Stanthorpe and 0.5 per cent in Warwick as of December 2023, according to property analysts SQM Research.
Data provided by CoreLogic showed weekly rents for all Southern Downs rental properties had risen by 8.1 per cent to $445 in the 12 months to January 2024.
As local, state and federal government leaders convened with key industry figures to discuss regional housing needs in the nation’s capital last Friday, housing advocacy group Everybody’s Home called on leaders to act fast.
“An extra 227,000 social homes need to be built in regional Australia just to meet the demand of today,” Everybody’s Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said.
“That need for housing is expected to grow within the next 20 years.”
The statement came ahead of a National Regional Housing Summit held on 9 February where housing industry delegates from peak bodies and the not-for-profit sector met with community leaders from various parts of the country to discuss housing solutions for the bush.
Ms Azize said the regional housing summit offered an important opportunity for the rental crisis to remain in the public conversation, but demanded more ambition from governments.
“A lack of affordable housing has flow-on effects for the liveability of regional areas,” she said.
“Long-time locals are being driven out of their communities. Essential workers are struggling to find a place to live.
“It’s time for governments to start acting on more ambitious plans to improve housing affordability across the country.
“The federal government must spend more on social housing, end investor handouts, and work with the states and territories to stop unfair rent increases.“
It comes following calls issued by Southern Downs Mayor Vic Pennisi in late-January for a nationwide inquiry into the number of homes left unoccupied around Australia.
Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed approximately 2,400 homes remained unoccupied in the Southern Downs on census night in 2021.
