Each major Australian capital city is faced with predicted population growth of millions more people within just the next 25 years. In Brisbane it’s over 1.5 million more, Sydney will cop another nearly 4 million, and Melbourne over 3 million more people. Here’s a scary fact: at current rates of cars to people, Brisbane will…
Articles by Ross Elliott
Ross Elliott has spent close to 30 years in real estate and property roles, including as a State Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Property Council of Australia, as well a national executive director of the Residential Development Council. He has authored and edited a large number of research and policy papers and spoken at numerous conferences and industry events. Visit www.rosselliott.com.au
One of the more infuriating ideas that seem to have more followers than it deserves is the notion that “tiny houses” are part of the solution to the housing affordability (and availability) challenges being faced in large Australian cities. “Tiny houses” are variously defined, but Wikipedia offers a useful description: “The tiny-house movement is an…
Global markets are actively exploring how to repurpose now empty office buildings, as the post covid impacts of work-from-home and distributed employment take their rising toll. Typically, it is the older-style office buildings that are most affected. Owners of premium office property compete more aggressively for premium, large-scale tenants who still want the high-performance CBD…
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So, the “National Jobs & Skills Summit” succeeded in what seemed a predetermined outcome: to lift migrant numbers and boost our population once again. Permanent migration will be lifted to 195,000 per annum, to address “skilled labour shortages” that is “holding back the economy.” Set aside that full employment would ordinarily see real wages grow…
Recently leading Australia developer Mirvac called for an overhaul of what it called “outdated metrics defining office spaces.” The call was in response to new, hybrid modes of work and new workplace design in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Mirvac is right to explore new office metrics. The current building grades categories, methods of…
Rational, balanced, evidence-based policy left the room long ago. In its place, it seems all you need now is a clever-looking infographic posted to social media, and you’ll be getting “likes” from thousands of professionals and community members already persuaded of a particular agenda and “wanting to believe.” Very few bother to question sources, motives,…
Who remembers this famous speech? “The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie — deliberate, contrived and dishonest — but the myth — persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the cliches of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the…
There are a number of folk getting quite excited at the prospect of some serious new investment in heavy commuter rail, as part of the Brisbane 2032 Olympics infrastructure legacy, but also with projects like Melbourne’s suburban rail loop. There’s no doubt that improved public transport connections are a good thing. But they can -…
We are fixated on population growth as a positive thing, which it can be. And we’ve become accustomed to rates of growth that have been absolutely extraordinary in global terms. Up until Covid turned the tap off on net overseas migration, we were projecting growth rates for our major cities which put them in the…