Australian Federal Budget 2025: One Million Renters Left Behind

Despite rental affordability hitting record lows, this year’s federal budget has overlooked a million Australian tenants, offering no additional relief for struggling renters.

Unlike previous years, where the government allocated extra funds to the Commonwealth Rental Assistance (CRA) program, this budget does not include any increases. The CRA provides financial aid to renters receiving government benefits such as pensions, study allowances, JobSeeker, and parenting support.

Although the government had previously committed to increasing CRA funding over the next five years—rising from $384 million to $518 million by 2027-28—this year’s budget contains no new provisions beyond the usual Consumer Price Index (CPI) adjustments.

This comes after the 2023-24 budget delivered a 15% boost in rental assistance, marking the first time in three decades that consecutive increases were implemented. Since the Labor government took office in 2022, the maximum CRA payments have risen by 45%.

However, despite these past improvements, Eloise Parrab, policy and advocacy manager at the Tenants’ Union of NSW, expressed disappointment over the Federal government’s lack of action, emphasizing that 30% of Australian households are renters in need of support.