There is a large group in Australia’s housing crisis that often gets less attention. They are not homeless. They are not homeowners. They are renters in the middle.

They may be working full-time, studying, raising children, caring for parents or saving for a deposit. They may not qualify for social housing or major government support. But they are still under serious pressure.

For them, renting is not a short stop before buying a home. It is a long-term reality. That is why the new federal budget matters.

Read more: At a glance: budget 2026

Overall, will this budget make renting more affordable, secure and stable? For some renters, yes, a little.

But for many ordinary renters, the budget will not feel like immediate relief. Many still face the same basic problem: too many people compete for too few suitable homes.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates around 31% of Australian households were renters in 2021: about 2.9 million households.

The number is rising. The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ 2021 census recorded 2,842,378 rented dwellings – up by about 360,000 renting households from 2016.

The pressure on many of these renters can be immense.

By April 2026, median weekly rents in Austraila’s most expensive........

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