A new report has highlighted the struggles of low income earners to find affordable housing throughout Australia.
Anglicare Australia’s annual Rental Affordability Snapshot surveyed 45,992 rental listing across the country and found only 720 or 2% were considered affordable for a person earning a full-time minimum wage.
The situation was much worse for those living on pensions or support allowances:
- 312 rentals (1%) were affordable for a person on the Age Pension.
- 51 rentals (0%) were affordable for a person on the Disability Support Pension.
- 7 rentals, (0%) all share houses, were affordable for a person on JobSeeker.
- 1 share house (0%) was affordable for a person on Youth Allowance.
However, the situation locally has been described as much more ‘dire’.
Recently, Canberra was again named as the most expensive city to rent in across Australia with the weekly cost of a home now at the record rate of $700 a week.
As a result, Anglicare ACT CEO Jeremy Halcrow said even dual low income families in Canberra are struggling to find housing.
“Our recent data suggests less than 0.1% of available properties were actually available for two parents on double incomes with two kids.”
It’s prompted renewed calls for for all parties and candidates to do more to address housing affordability in the lead up to next month’s federal election.
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