The Australian Council of Trade Unions is calling for landlords to provide rental leases with a minimum term of two years [1].
This push comes as housing insecurity and affordability continue to challenge renters across Australia. The proposal aims to provide greater stability for tenants who face frequent displacements and rising costs.
Beyond lease duration, the ACTU is urging the government to significantly increase the volume of public housing. The union said the government should utilize modular construction to accelerate the building process and increase the supply of affordable homes [1, 2].
The organization said these measures are necessary to address the systemic instability in the rental market. By extending the minimum lease term to two years [1], the union believes renters will have more security in their living situations.
The call for modular housing is intended to bypass some of the traditional delays associated with large-scale residential development. This method allows for faster assembly of units, which the union said would help the government meet the urgent demand for social housing [1, 2].
The ACTU's proposal targets a nationwide crisis where availability is low and competition for basic housing is high. The union said the combination of longer leases and increased public stock would reduce the pressure on the private rental market [1].
“The Australian Council of Trade Unions is calling for landlords to provide rental leases with a minimum term of two years.”
The ACTU's proposal represents a shift toward treating housing as a stabilized utility rather than a flexible market commodity. By advocating for both regulatory changes to leases and a state-led increase in supply through modular building, the unions are attempting to reduce the leverage of private landlords over the workforce.
