The Australian Dream

It used to mean that everyone aspired to home ownership of a detached dwelling in the suburban fringe. In the 90s various factors reduced it to maybe a semi-detached or a flat. In the 21st Century the meaning of the word dream has switched from aspiration to dim hope.

This means in practice that 50% of the current generation of new entrants to the workforce will never own a home. They will be tenants, for life.

In Queensland, various reforms to the rental environment coupled with a sort of institutionalized land-lord sneer mean that leases are short, 6 or 12 months and are often not renewed (churning tenants lets them raise rent more than 5% or so a year that is considered reasonable on a renewal). Additionally tenants live under rules that are more like those that apply to guests in hotels or boarding houses. No hanging pictures, even with Blue Tac. No redecorating, no leaving one's imprint on ones home. No permanence, which means effectively no accumulating more possessions than you can afford to move every year or two.

There is no right or even expectation of pet ownership. There is no right to run even a hobby business from home. Many leases ban parking commercial vehicles on the property. Inspections are often every 3 months, and passing or failing is often subjective and arbitrary.

Legislation is overwhelmingly in the landlords favour. House washed away by flood, tenant pays rent until they lodge the forms to terminate the lease due to the premises being uninhabitable. Basic maintenance not done, the default response of the regulator is to offer the Tenant the option to terminate the lease without penalty, rather than enforcing minimum standards of habitability.

Australia needs to overhaul the concept of residential tenancy over the next decade to give the growing underclass the opportunity to establish roots and connections to their community.