Society needs social housing

Low-income renters in Australia are far less likely to experience housing stress, rent arrears, or be forced to relocate, when living in social housing compared to those receiving cash rent assistance payments or no assistance, according to a new global study by Curtin University.

Nostalgia is not a strategy for Melbourne’s urban change

Rapid population growth and rampant house price inflation have left home ownership a distant dream for many Melbournians, but plans to increase housing density are also politically fraught.

Energy-efficient homes are healthier too

Governments are changing regulations to increase home energy efficiency and the positive impacts on health which result should be publicised alongside the headline savings in energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions.

Fixing Australia’s housing crisis

Australian society is still coming to terms with the fading promise of homeownership. They are also struggling to agree on the reasons why housing is such a huge problem, and how it can be addressed.

Shifting the Australian housing dream

At the cultural level, our past tradition of home building was largely laissez-faire. The Australian way of leaving it to the developer must change. For this massive renewal, Government must direct, guide and be part of it like no time before.

Building faster – not better

Cutting corners in construction isn’t new, but the risks are magnified when governments set aggressive targets without equally ambitious planning frameworks.

The housing crisis is a business problem

Lack of affordable housing in Australia is hurting productivity, costing billions, and making it harder for employers to attract and retain workers.

Everybody’s home

Public housing pressure group “Everybody’s Home” argues that housing tax reform the key to Australia’s economic sustainability and productivity.

Office space

There’s an underutilised resource sitting in virtually every Australian town and city that might offer at least part of the solution to the nation’s housing shortage.

Building productivity

While the major parties focus on demand-side interventions – Labor’s reduced minimum deposit and the Coalition’s mortgage repayment tax deductibility for first home buyers – supply-side reform is required to increase the nation’s housing stock.

Building a housing solution

Australia is spending billions trying and still failing to get people into decent homes they can afford. Some more radical options could be on the table.

Focus on the housing crisis

The housing crisis has prompted a series of housing promises from across the political spectrum, but Australia needs ideas that will actually work, rather than marginal handouts.