Housing, Location, Jobs, and Wages - declining affordability

Defaulting on the Australian dream This week we launched our report into the affordability of housing for workers in a number of occupations,Defaulting on the Australian dream. The research shows that a full-time salary no longer guarantees access to affordable housing in Australia. We've also created a new way for you to take action as part of the campaign. You can now send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper directly from our website! What's even more powerful than us contacting the media is for you to contact them direclty – to tell your story of housing stress and why you believe housing stress should no longer be ignored. We wish to thank Ged Kearney, President of the ACTU, for helping us launch the report, which shows that working Australians who would traditionally be looking to buy their first home are among those affected by the current housing crisis. Ged pointed out that more and more Australians don't have the protection of full-time work, and that people in causual and contract employment can have even more difficulty accessing affordable housing than reflected in this report. Housing stress means you are spending more than 30% of your income on housing, and we were surprised to discover how many people have to spend more than half of their income on rent. This makes it almost impossible to save for a deposit, which means that home ownership is not an option. Child care workers, cleaners and hairdressers are likely to spend more than 50% of their income on housing in their capital city. The crisis is most keenly felt by workers in Queensland, closely followed by NSW, ACT and NT. This report confirms the need for affordable housing close to jobs. Our plan for addressing housing affordability in Australia can be downloaded here. Regards, Joel Pringle Campaign Manager Australians for Affordable Housing