Parramatta serves as a regional contrast, with a weekly median income of about $2,039 and rent around $700, showing 34% of income going to rent and highlighting regional variation in affordability.

A new Anglicare Australia analysis finds that median rent across 140 of 150 federal electorates is unaffordable for households on the median income, underscoring a widening rental crisis.

Chambers argues for reducing reliance on private investors and shifting toward long-term stability through public and community housing, while criticizing tax incentives that encourage speculative investment.

Executive director Kasy Chambers warns that cost-of-living pressures are affecting households on median incomes as well as those on lower incomes, urging urgent policy action.

The report links affordability to broader rental reforms in the national budget, calling for reforms deemed urgent to stop subsidizing wealth accumulation at renters’ expense.

About 2.9 million Australian households (31%) are renters, while roughly 6.2 million have mortgages, illustrating a sizable renter segment amid mounting cost pressures.

Only 10 electorates are deemed affordable for median-income households across metropolitan, regional, and outer suburban areas, signaling widespread unaffordability.

The worst cases of unaffordability include Richmond (NSW) where weekly median income is $1,376 and rent is $950 (69% of income), followed by McPherson (QLD) at 52% and inner Melbourne at 39%.