Session spotlight: A different dream: rent as Australia’s dominant housing tenure

As the landscape of housing in Australia evolves, renting is becoming an increasingly prevalent tenure. Recent AHURI research revealed that three out of five Australian renters say they expect they will never own their own home. Further research found half of all rental properties are held for two years or less, creating instability for renters.

This session, sponsored by Housing Choices Australia, will explore the implications of a shift to rent as Australia's dominant housing tenure, delving into:

• what happens when people rent long term instead of becoming homeowners
• how policies for renting and rental properties should be reframed to support long-term renters
• what other areas of government policy need to respond to this shift.

Session speakers

Trina Jones, NSW Rental Commissioner

Key speaker for this session, Trina Jones, serves as the inaugural NSW Rental Commissioner. Trina brings over 15 years of experience tackling issues like housing affordability, homelessness, and community safety in Australia, the UK, and Ireland to this discussion.

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Dr Chris Martin, UNSW Sydney

Accompanying Trina in this discussion is Dr Chris Martin, Scientia Senior Research Fellow at UNSW Sydney. Dr Martin holds dedicated research interests in rental housing, housing affordability and tenancy law. Dr Martin has led and participated in numerous AHURI inquiries and research projects relevant to this discussion.