Media release: action needed as renters living in “tin shacks” - 75 organisations urge state/territory governments to adopt minimum standards tokeep renters healthy and safe

Seventy-five organisations from across Australia have written to state and territory Cabinet Ministers calling for minimum standards for rental properties to safeguard the health of renters and protect them from the impacts of climate change.

The open letter was signed by community, faith, environment, housing, industry, and social sector organisations, including CHOICE, Healthy Futures, People with Disability Australia, Stiebel Eltron, and the United Workers Union. It comes after the IPCC issued its most dire warning about the impacts of climate change on public health.

Around one in three Australian households are renting, and rental properties are often less energy efficient, so it’s harder and more expensive to keep them warm in winter and cool in summer. A recent national poll found that two in three renters have had difficulty keeping a comfortable temperature in their home. Cold indoor temperatures are linked with cardiovascular and respiratory disease.

The cohort of 75 organisations is urging governments to accelerate policy changes to introduce minimum energy efficiency standards to better protect the health of Australian renters.

In 2019, the COAG Energy Council agreed to changes to make existing buildings more energy efficient by 2030, including minimum energy efficiency standards for all rental properties.

However, many jurisdictions are yet to commit to implement such standards, with only Victoria and the ACT taking public action on this front.

---

The open letter is available below.

The signatories are:

1. ACOSS

2. ACT Shelter

3. ACTCOSS

4. Anglicare Australia

5. Australian Architects Declare

6. Australian Association of Social Workers

7. Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF)

8. Australian Energy Foundation

9. Australian Insulation Foundation

10. Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC)

11. Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC)

12. Better Renting

13. Brotherhood of St Laurence

14. Building Designers Association of Australia

15. Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance

16. Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare

17. CHOICE

18. Circle Green Community Legal

19. Clean State

20. Climate Action Network Australia (CANA)

21. Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA)

22. Climate Council

23. Climate Justice Union (CJU)

24. Community Legal Centres NSW

25. Community Power Agency (CPA)

26. Conservation Council ACT

27. Conservation Council of SA

28. Consumer Action Law Centre

29. COTA ACT

30. COTA NSW

31. COTA WA

32. Council of Single Mothers and Their Children

33. Doctors for the Environment Australia

34. Energetic Communities

35. Energy Efficiency Council

36. Environment Centre NT

37. Environment Victoria

38. Ethnic Communities Council of NSW ECCNSW

39. Friends of the Earth

40. Healthy Futures

41. Housing for Health Incubator

42. Indigenous Peoples' Organisation of Australia

43. Insulation Australasia

44. Lighter Footprints

45. Nature Conservation Council NSW

46. NCOSS

47. NTCOSS

48. Outdoor Peoples for Climate

49. People with Disability Australia

50. Physical Disability Council of NSW PDCN

51. PIAC

52. QCOSS

53. RAHU

54. Renew

55. SACOSS

56. Shelter NSW

57. Shelter SA

58. Shelter Tasmania

59. Shelter WA

60. Solar Citizens

61. Specialist Disability Accomodation Alliance

62. Stiebel Eltron

63. Sweltering Cities

64. Sydney Alliance

65. TasCOSS

66. Tenants Tasmania

67. TUACT

68. TUNSW

69. United Workers Union UWU

70. Uniting (Victoria)

71. Uniting Church of Australia, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania

72. Uniting Communities

73. Victorian Trades Hall Council

74. Vinnies NSW

75. WACOSS

76. Wilderness Society Tasmania

77. Yarra Energy Foundation