Latest news with #AngusFisher
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Eyewatering price demanded for this dilapidated rental property perfectly sums up the grim state of Australia's housing crisis: 'It's a disgrace!'
A dilapidated rental listing in Sydney 's inner west has sparked outrage, with critics calling it misleading and emblematic of Australia's worsening housing crisis. The two-bedroom apartment in Burwood, about 10km from Sydney's CBD, was listed at an eyewatering $550 per week, despite its rundown state. The property has just one bathroom, no parking, and according to photos previously published on a kitchen with exposed pipes, peeling walls and missing drawers. Although the listing has since been removed from that site, it remains live on Raine & Horne's website, where only an exterior shot of the home is shown. The listing previously claimed the property features a 'good condition kitchen & bathroom.' The misleading description has drawn criticism from renters and housing advocates amid the ongoing cost of living crisis. 'It's completely outrageous that young people are being forced to pay $550 a week for properties that are literally falling apart,' Angus Fisher, the President of the University of Sydney's Student Representative Council, told Daily Mail Australia. 'It's a disgrace! 'Students and young renters are being priced out, pushed into dangerous conditions, and treated like the leftovers in the rental market.' Mr Fisher added that renters deserve better than being offered substandard homes. 'We're seeing the consequences of a broken system where the profit making of real estate firms can occur without any human dignity,' he said. 'The government needs to step in with real rent controls, stronger tenancy protections, and a commitment to building safe affordable housing. Right now, renters are being served a derelict deal.' The rental was previous listed for $495 per week in 2024, rising by around 11 per cent in a single year. In 2020, laws were introduced in New South Wales to make it clear that rental properties had to meet specific minimum standards to be considered fit to live in. These included being structurally sound, having adequate lighting and ventilation, proper plumbing and drainage, and access to electricity or gas with a sufficient number of sockets. Properties were also required to have hot and cold running water and private bathroom facilities. Breaching these requirements could result in fines of up to $11,000 for individuals and $71,500 for agencies. Further reforms were rolled out from 31 October 2024 and 19 May 2025, including limiting rent increases to once per year across all leases, including those signed before the reforms. Tenants could no longer be charged for application costs such as background checks or lease preparation. Landlords were required to provide a valid reason to end a tenancy, even at the conclusion of a fixed term, and, in some cases, had to supply supporting documentation. New restrictions on re-letting and extended notice periods were introduced, giving tenants more time to secure alternative housing. Pet laws were also updated, landlords could only refuse a pet for limited reasons and were required to respond to pet requests within 21 days, or approval would be granted automatically.
The Age
02-06-2025
- Politics
- The Age
‘Lecture-bashing' ban among new rules for Sydney University students
University of Sydney academics have been banned from allowing students to make non-course-related announcements at the start of a lecture, under new rules the institution says balance campus safety and academic freedom. It comes after the university spent $441,789 on an external review to combat antisemitism in the 18 months following Hamas' October 7 attacks and complaints from Jewish students that they did not feel safe at the institution. Vice Chancellor Mark Scott said the move was one of five new revised policies that articulated what was and was not acceptable, designed so everyone 'feels safe to be themselves no matter their religion, gender, sexuality, race or ability'. 'In a world of increased conflict and polarisation, that can be challenging. But over the past year, we've done some significant work across the university to ensure our campus is a place where everyone can thrive,' he said in an email on Monday afternoon. 'These policies balance our commitments to campus safety with those to academic freedom and freedom of speech and set clear standards for what is and isn't acceptable.' For decades, students at Sydney University have engaged in the practice of 'lecture bashing', whereby lecturers permit students to make political statements about non-course-related material. Student representative council president Angus Fisher said the new rules are an extremely disappointing step because they impinge on the university's long history of political debate. 'In a context where external alt-right anti-abortion representatives come to campus weekly to harass students, it is unclear to me how a ban on lecture announcements results in anything less than stifling free speech and debate,' he said.
Sydney Morning Herald
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Lecture-bashing' ban among new rules for Sydney University students
University of Sydney academics have been banned from allowing students to make non-course-related announcements at the start of a lecture, under new rules the institution says balance campus safety and academic freedom. It comes after the university spent $441,789 on an external review to combat antisemitism in the 18 months following Hamas' October 7 attacks and complaints from Jewish students that they did not feel safe at the institution. Vice Chancellor Mark Scott said the move was one of five new revised policies that articulated what was and was not acceptable, designed so everyone 'feels safe to be themselves no matter their religion, gender, sexuality, race or ability'. 'In a world of increased conflict and polarisation, that can be challenging. But over the past year, we've done some significant work across the university to ensure our campus is a place where everyone can thrive,' he said in an email on Monday afternoon. 'These policies balance our commitments to campus safety with those to academic freedom and freedom of speech and set clear standards for what is and isn't acceptable.' For decades, students at Sydney University have engaged in the practice of 'lecture bashing', whereby lecturers permit students to make political statements about non-course-related material. Student representative council president Angus Fisher said the new rules are an extremely disappointing step because they impinge on the university's long history of political debate. 'In a context where external alt-right anti-abortion representatives come to campus weekly to harass students, it is unclear to me how a ban on lecture announcements results in anything less than stifling free speech and debate,' he said.
