Perth and Sydney are grappling with severe rental crises, characterized by record high rents and low vacancy rates.

In Perth, rents for houses and units have soared by 18% and 22% respectively, leading to a median asking rent of $650 per week for houses.

The dire rental situation in Perth has resulted in a 44% increase in pet surrender requests due to financial strain.

Sydney's rental market is similarly strained with median asking rents of $750 per week for houses and $700 per week for units.

Australia's rental market overall is facing the highest quarterly rent increase in nearly 20 years, with a national median of $630 per week for houses.

The current rental crisis is due to a combination of high demand and limited supply, exacerbated by insufficient housing construction, including a decline in public housing projects.

Experts suggest a healthy vacancy rate of at least 3% is necessary to stabilize rental prices, a figure neither Perth nor Sydney currently meets.

In a separate matter, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance is petitioning the Australian government to encourage the US to drop charges against WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, with President Joe Biden considering the request.