In the midst of the 2025 Federal Election campaign St Bart’s is calling on all parties and candidates to act on housing affordability and homelessness. The call is made as Anglicare Australia releases its annual Rental Affordability Snapshot.
The Snapshot surveyed 3,523 Western Australian properties and found that:
- 0.4% were affordable for a person earning a full-time minimum wage (lower than the national average)
- 0.1% were affordable for a person on the Age Pension
- No rentals were affordable for a person on the Disability Support Pension
- No rentals were affordable for a single parent of one child on Parenting Payment or Jobseeker
- No rentals were affordable for a person on Job Seeker or Youth Allowance payments.
Samantha Drury, Chief Executive Officer at St Bart’s explained “Affordable housing is no longer a reality for Western Australians on minimum wage or those facing significant vulnerability. The current system is failing those who need it most. With more than 53,000 people experiencing homelessness, housing insecurity or rental distress, and stock levels at critical lows, urgent action is needed.”
“St Bart’s operates at 98% capacity year-round, demonstrating the unrelenting pressure on services already stretched to their limits. Without significant investment to increase social housing supply, the gap between need and availability will continue to widen — leaving thousands at risk of homelessness. We must act now to ensure that every individual has access to a safe, secure, and affordable home” Ms Drury said.
The housing crisis is climbing the income ladder, and people on lowest incomes don’t stand a chance. Less than 1% of rentals are affordable for a full-time worker on the minimum wage. For a person out of work it’s even grimmer. There were no affordable rentals in Western Australia for someone on Job Seeker.
“These results show that housing cannot be left to the private sector. We’re calling on the next parliament to build more social housing that people can afford. St Bart’s is ready to assist before this crisis gets worse” Ms Drury said.
St Bart’s acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land that we live and work on, the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation. We are privileged to work with, and alongside, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and encourage those who are emerging as leaders.
St Bart’s is committed to diversity and inclusion in all its forms. We welcome and support the health and wellbeing of all people, regardless of background, age, ethnicity, religion and gender identity.