
Today Show slammed for out of touch advice to struggling Aussie renters
During a segment on the rental shortage on Thursday morning, Gibson shared advice for renters who want to stand out from the hordes of other applicants at an inspection.
'It's important to treat this like a military operation, treat it like a job interview,' Gibson said.
'When you go into that first inspection, you need to make an impression on that agent. Bring a printed version of your application, dress like it's a job interview.
'You can still offer more rent or money upfront in most states at the moment. Rent bidding is becoming illegal in Victoria in November. It's illegal in Queensland.'
Specifically, Gibson recommended offering to pay more than the quoted amount, or to offer two to three months of rent upfront in advance.
In response to hearing the practice is illegal, or capped at a few weeks' worth of rent, Karl said, 'What about a little bit of a...' and made a 'backhander' motion to suggest making a covert payment.
The segment drew widespread criticism at a time when many are struggling to find a rental, and even those who have are having difficulty paying very high rent prices.
'Two to three months up front? Sure, everyone has $5,000 they can just fire off,' one wrote.
'Treat it like a job interview? What is wrong with these people? Why not: "practice your lowest bow and curtsy",' another said.
'Who can afford three months of rent and bond in advance?' another wrote.
'Who needs a social life when you can pay to live in some random a***ole's fifth investment property?' another said.
On top of Gibson's suggestion to treat rental inspections 'like a job interview', offer a higher rent or pay in advance, and pre-prepare an application - he called for prospective renters to call real estate agents within 24 hours to follow up their application and make a personal pitch.
He also said hikes in average rental prices appear to be slowing this year, having reached a tipping point that made them unaffordable for many prospective tenants.
'Rents are up 43 per cent over five years, it's added $10,000 to the average rent in the last five years,' Gibson said, looking at the median price across five cities.
'But we have seen in the last quarter the lowest increase since 2020 so there maybe is a glimmer of hope that the trend is kind of coming back down.
'When you look at Sydney and Melbourne, they've actually gone up by only about 1.5 per cent in the past year, whereas other medium-sized capitals - Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide - they're the ones that are still rising quite fast at around five per cent.
'It looks like the really bad years of the last few years might be coming to an end for renters, so there is a bit of a glimmer of hope.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Australia's first rocket launch crashes shortly after takeoff
An Australian-made rocket has been launched from home soil for the first time, only to crash moments later. The 14-second maiden flight in Bowen, north Queensland , was hailed a 'major step' toward Australia joining a potentially lucrative global space industry. To mark the milestone, a jar of Vegemite was the only occupant of the 23-metre, 35-tonne Eris rocket. Spectators at the coastal town of Bowen near Townsville gathered while thousands around the world watched via YouTube channel Aussienaut when it launched about 8.30am. The rocket took off with plumes of smoke erupting from underneath before hovering in the air briefly and then crashing into the ground nearby. There were no injuries or environmental impacts, the Gold Coast-based company said. 'Off the pad, I am happy,' CEO Adam Gilmour posted on LinkedIn. 'Of course, I would have liked more flight time, but happy with this.' He later posted on Facebook: 'For a maiden test flight, especially after an extended 18-month wait on the pad for final approvals, this is a strong result and a major step forward for Australia's sovereign space capability.' The flight was brief but was still set to provide vital data. 'Space is hard. SpaceX, Rocket Lab and others needed multiple test flights to reach orbit,' Mr Gilmour said in a statement. 'We've learned a tremendous amount that will go directly into improving our next vehicle, which is already in production. 'This was the first real test of our rocket systems, our propulsion technology, and our spaceport - and it proved that much of what we've built works.' Gilmour Space Technologies is looking to design and manufacture rockets to carry satellites into space, using new hybrid propulsion technology. If successful, the company's rockets are set to carry small satellites to orbit for business and government in a low cost service - one that is in growing demand globally. 'Satellites and communication are worth billions and billions in the global space economy,' Swinburne University of Technology's Rebecca Allen told AAP. 'And it would mean huge benefits for the Australian economy and jobs if the rockets are to be manufactured here. 'In terms of a developed nation we are considered pretty far behind where we should be - this is definitely bringing us up closer to where we should be.' The launch had been delayed for months because of weather conditions and technical issues. It was set to take off on Tuesday afternoon and was 10 minutes out from launching, only to be halted because of high winds. Australia's attempt to enter the space race didn't last long but Dr Allen agreed it was a success. 'The launch is a major milestone for the space industry here. It's huge,' she said. 'Once this rocket is more reliable and fully able to undertake launches to lower orbit, it means we are not relying on another country to access space.' Gilmour Space Technologies was recently awarded a $5 million grant from the federal government to assist with the launch after receiving $52 million in Commonwealth funding to lead a space manufacturing network in Australia. 'Only six nations launch to orbit regularly and just a handful are working to join them - today brings Australia closer to that club,' Mr Gilmour said.


The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Morning Mail: Adani's ‘sustainable' coal claim denounced, NSW religious school boom, tsunami fears subside
Morning everyone. Scientists have denounced a claim by Adani that its exports of coal from Australia are helping advance sustainable development. In other news, Anthony Albanese is fighting off pressure from his backbenchers to take a tougher line on Israel, religious schools in New South Wales are growing fast, tsunami warnings have been downgraded in large parts of the Pacific, and the 10 Australian poetry collections you can't miss. Class divide | Enrolments in religious schools have increased by a record 30% in NSW in the past decade, new data shows – and not necessarily correlating with student beliefs. Independent schools in general have enrolled almost two-thirds of the state's additional students since 2000. Rates hope | Yesterday's low inflation figures have raised hope for an interest rates cut – indeed they show a cut is overdue, our regular columnist Greg Jericho points out. But slow growth is not all good news, our economics editor writes. 'Wilful disinformation' | An Adani claim that its Australian export program, whereby coal is sent through the Great Barrier Reef's shipping channels, is advancing the United Nations' sustainable development goals has been denounced by leading scientists. Car claims | Car companies continue to sell vehicles that use much more petrol and emit more toxic fumes than advertised, despite repeated investigations identifying discrepancies in marketing, an AAA report claims. Mushroom order | A court order has been placed on Erin Patterson's house preventing it from being sold in case compensation claims are made against her for killing three members of her family with a deadly mushroom lunch. Tsunami downgrade | A major tsunami is not expected to strike Hawaii after the first waves hit the islands after a powerful magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck off Russia's eastern coast, one of the strongest ever recorded. However, authorities ordered evacuations on Ecuador and Chile's Pacific islands. Follow developments live. Exclusive | A former CIA officer who helped lead the intelligence assessments over alleged Russia interference in the 2016 presidential election has said Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, is ignorant of the practices of espionage after she accused Barack Obama and his national security team of 'treasonous conspiracy' against Donald Trump. Migration boom | The population of England and Wales has grown by 700,000 – the second-largest annual increase in more than 75 years – largely due to international migration. 'Moral failure' | A British-Israeli woman who was held hostage by Hamas for more than 15 months has accused Keir Starmer of 'moral failure' after he set the UK on course to recognise a Palestinian state. It comes as aid workers in Gaza said Israel's new measures to improve the humanitarian situation fall short of what is needed. Climber dies | Laura Dahlmeier, a German double Olympic biathlon champion, has died days after she was seriously injured by a rockfall while climbing in the Karakoram in Pakistan. Why do we age in dramatic bursts, and what can we do about it? Ian Sample hears from Prof Michael Snyder about his study of ageing and how it might be a series of episodes rather than a linear process. Sorry your browser does not support audio - but you can download here and listen $ Two decades ago, a historian warned Brisbane would become the first 200km city as it sprawled from Noosa to the NSW border. As the state government eschews putting more townhouses and apartments in existing city areas, Andrew Messenger reports on how the dire warning looks like coming true. Australian poetry is having a moment and to mark Australian Poetry Month the artistic directors of Red Room Poetry share a list of unmissable titles. From Ali Cobby Eckermann to Luke Davies, and from Nam Le to Judith Wright, there's something for seasoned readers and newcomers alike. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Swimming | Mollie O'Callaghan carried on where she left off in the Olympics by winning the 200m freestyle at the world championships in Singapore on a night of mixed fortunes for Australia's team. Cricket | Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the final Test match of England's series against India starting at the Oval later today with a grade-three muscle tear in his shoulder. The Age reports that Victoria has kept its AA credit rating despite the budget blowout from the suburban rail loop project. Weather experts think they might have found a new weapon to tackle the threat of another algal bloom in South Australia, the Advertiser reports. A prominent Gold Coast developer has died suddenly aged 39 while exercising at a gym, the Bulletin reports. Courts | Judgment expected at the federal court in X's case against the eSafety commissioner. Economy | RBA deputy governor Andrew House speaks at the Barrenjoey Economic Forum in Sydney at 9.20am. Art | Archibald Prize people's choice winner announced at 11am. If you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland. And finally, here are the Guardian's crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword


The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Australia politics live: only four out of 19 Closing the Gap targets improving, latest report shows
Update: Date: 2025-07-30T20:32:14.000Z Title: Content: Without changing the approach to Closing the Gap, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will continue to 'pay the price', Indigenous organisations say. Just four of the 19 Closing the Gap targets are on track to be met, according to the latest data from the Productivity Commission, the Australian Associated Press reports. But key targets, including adult imprisonment rates, children in out-of-home care, suicide and childhood development are continuing to worsen. While there have been improvements in Year 12 attainment, tertiary education and housing access, these are not on track to meet deadlines. Update: Date: 2025-07-30T20:28:34.000Z Title: Welcome Content: Good morning and welcome to our live politics blog. I'm Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Krishani Dhanji with the main action. The latest Closing the Gap report has been released this morning and it shows that progress is being made on only four of the 19 targets. Indigenous groups and advocates say governments need to do more. More details coming up. Anika Wells, the communications minister, appeared on 7.30 last night to explain the government's decision to restrict children's YouTube access. More details coming up on that as well.