Renters deserve better than this:

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/housing-market-puts-fear-in-renters-lives/8300954

Europe has managed for generations with a high proportion of people being renters rather than home owners and they have managed pretty well.
But we seem to have a dog eat dog mentality in this country and I don't think it has changed much since I was young 50-60 years ago.

I don't know what you can do about the level of private rents. Look, if a landlord is sitting on say a $800,000 property he is going to expect at least a 5% return which is $769 a week . . .and that's gross before expenses. So, depending on his circumstances, that could be a net return of 2-3%.

But I've said this time & time before, part of social welfare policy in this country ought to be big investment in social housing, let to tenants who meet and abide to strict conditions and who can be evicted for violations without having to go to the High Court, if you get my drift.
Such a policy ticks all the boxes for infrastructure spend, reducing housing demand & therefore bubble, social cohesion etc.

How to fund it? Start by crossing off $100,000+ earners from the family benefits scheme, retirees with $400,000+ from the part pension and/or health care card scheme, child care benefit receivers who are high earners or baby-sitting users, and on & on. Limit negative gearing users to one property of modest value according to location.

Give the job to a business man who's not afraid to slash & burn.

bogarde73 wrote on Mar 24^th, 2017 at 9:12am:

part of social welfare policy in this country ought to be big investment in social housing, let to tenants who meet and abide to strict conditions and who can be evicted for violations without having to go to the High Court, if you get my drift. Such a policy ticks all the boxes for infrastructure spend, reducing housing demand & therefore bubble, social cohesion etc.

they should also have the option of rent to buy. Whereby with a small deposit and provided they pay the rent for x number of years, and they pay to maintain the property in fit and working order, they will eventually own it. We did it post WWII and it worked great. No reason why we can't do it again.

bogarde73 wrote on Mar 24^th, 2017 at 9:12am:

Europe has managed for generations with a high proportion of people being renters rather than home owners and they have managed pretty well. But we seem to have a dog eat dog mentality in this country and I don't think it has changed much since I was young 50-60 years ago.

Actually most of Europe has higher home ownership than we do

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_home_ownership_rate

We come in at 38th but that is based on 2011 figures so I'm sure that home ownership is now lower than 67%.
Germany and Austria are blow us but that is due in part to WW2.

It is a concern because higher home ownership leads to a more stable society and has many social benefits.

We are fast becoming a society of land owners and serfs.
The politicians won't do anything about it though because as a profession they have one of the highest rates of investment property ownership.

I had Germany in mind particularly and the large cities in the main. And what I was mainly thinking about was they seem to have long-term leases, whereas a main problem for renters here is they have trouble getting more than 12 months.