Research undertaken by the Australian National University (ANU) in May showed that the COVID-19 pandemic had led to a sharp rise in housing stress. The survey found that 15% of households were not able to pay their regular housing costs during the previous three months, compared with just 7% in April.
Matthew Gray from the ANU’s Centre for Social Research says the JobSeeker and JobKeeper schemes are preventing many households from experiencing housing stress, and he warns that the nation may face a housing crisis if the payments end as scheduled in late September, alongside the expiry of mortgage repayment freezes:
“If they are removed at the end of September — assuming we still have high unemployment — we could face a real housing crisis”…
