**Rental Affordability Crisis Hits Essential Workers in Australia** Cody Nesbit, a barista from the Gold Coast, dreams of homeownership but finds it increasingly difficult to save. He shares this struggle with many others, as a recent report from Anglicare reveals that less than 1% of rental properties in Queensland are affordable for the average hospitality worker. The annual Rental Affordability Snapshot indicates that a bartender wishing to live alone cannot afford any rental properties in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), only five in the Northern Territory, and just 80 across Victoria. The report highlights a broader issue affecting paramedics, aged care workers, nurses, delivery drivers, and early childhood educators, who are also being priced out of the rental market nationwide. Nesbit manages a busy café in Mermaid Beach and currently pays $400 per week for a room in a shared house in Miami with three other people. "Rent has gone up dramatically every year," he said. "Everything has gone up. The only thing that hasn't gone up is our wage." At 35, he is studying to become a teacher and hopes to secure a position at an outback school after graduation, where he believes the cost of living will be lower. This move, he says, will help him and his partner save for a home. "My partner and I chat a lot about what the future holds for us and what we need to do, and the outcome seems grim," he said. "We want to be able to afford to have a house, we want to be able to afford to have kids. You used to be able to go out and enjoy a night on the town, buy your groceries, pay your bills and still be able to put some money aside — that's gone now." The Anglicare report underscores the severe impact of Australia's housing crisis and rising living costs on essential workers. The study surveyed 51,000 rental listings across the country, comparing them to the full-time wages of 16 critical occupations. It found that early childhood educators could afford only 0.8% of rental properties, while cleaners could afford 1.1%, nurses 1.5%, ambulance officers 2.3%, and school teachers 3.3%. On the Gold Coast, one of the most expensive rental markets in Australia, the report revealed that someone earning minimum wage could afford only two of the 1,563 available rentals. Kasy Chambers, executive director of Anglicare Australia, called it a "national disgrace" that hardworking individuals struggle to find affordable housing. "This report shows that even full-time workers in critical jobs are locked out of most rentals," Chambers said. "If they cannot afford to live where they work, then schools, hospitals, and aged care homes will struggle to keep running." Despite a 13% increase in rental listings, there was no significant improvement in affordability for essential workers. The study also found little relief outside major cities, challenging the notion that moving to regional areas would solve the affordability crisis. Nesbit expressed frustration over the perception that his generation lacks sensible spending habits. He noted that many in the hospitality industry work multiple jobs or have moved back in with their parents. "We all work really hard," he said. "It has been tough. Everyone is in the same boat." Chambers emphasized that Australia’s housing crisis is a manufactured issue, urging governments to take immediate action. "It is a system that works for investors but shuts out everyone else," she said. "The solution is clear: we need tax reform to stop pushing up the cost of housing, we need to build at least 25,000 new public and community homes each year, and we need stronger protections for renters, so people are not left at the mercy of an unfair system."