Nurses face rental stress as rising rents push essential workers to the brink in NSW

Heather Halliday is a nurse on a first year salary and has just been kicked out of her long-term rental in Fletcher, near Newcastle in NSW.

“It feels like a huge kick in the guts,” she said.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: NSW nurses unable to afford skyrocketing rent.

“I think I stopped breathing and held my breath for a moment just trying to process it.”

Now being forced to look elsewhere for a place, the mum-of-two fears the uncertainty of not being able to find one, along with the cost.

“We could be looking at another $100 to $400 a week extra, so be looking at over $1000 to want to stay in this area.” she said.

Swiki Dhakal’s rent has climbed more than $100 a week. The Hornsby nurse says moving to a more affordable suburb is not an option for her and her partner, who is a social worker.

“I can’t even begin to explain how tough is it,” she said.

“Moving away means getting an additional car ... So we just can’t afford to move out and then get another car.”

There are around 3000 new nurses starting work this year, earning a base salary of $72,153, including the recent 3 per cent pay rise.

In two years, according to CoreLogic, rents have climbed 12 per cent for houses to a median value of $811 a week and 15 per cent for units to a median value of $710 a week.

The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association has been calling for a 15 per cent pay rise for nurses.

“We hear that our members are being forced to live out of their cars, that they are driving over an hour to get to work or to get home.”

A survey has found 69 per cent of nurses are in rental stress — paying over a third of their income on rent. It’s a widespread issue for all essential workers, many of whom are priced out of the market.

Anglicare Australia found 2.2 per cent of rentals were affordable for an ambulance worker, 1.5 per cent were affordable for an aged care worker, 1.4 per cent were affordable for a nurse, 0.9 per cent were affordable for an early childhood educator, 0.9 per cent were affordable for a construction worker.

Leo Patterson Ross from the Tenants’ Union says there is a knock-on effect to the whole community.

“We’re putting people into situations where they’re tired, they’re stressed — that actually affects all of us because it means that the services that we need aren’t being delivered at the level that we’d like.”

The Nurses’ Union is promising to turn up the heat on local MPs ahead of the federal election.

“When I was a young girl, always wanting to be a nurse, I feel like my dream’s just been shot down,” Halliday said.