Key takeaways
Australia struggles with housing affordability, a rental property shortage, an overburdened healthcare system, and climate change. Governments often address these issues reactively, stepping in only during crises, which perpetuates inefficiency and increases long-term costs.
Preventative measures tackle problems at their roots and are more cost-effective and humane than crisis management. Examples like affordable housing investment and sustainable energy infrastructure demonstrate the long-term savings of proactive planning. However, preventative policies often lack visibility, making them a harder sell politically compared to reactive policies that generate immediate, emotional wins.
Gen X and younger generations, with their focus on data, community values, and sustainability, are better positioned to prioritize evidence-based, preventative policies. Younger Australians are increasingly demanding proactive leadership, pushing politicians toward systemic change.
Australia continues to face a variety of challenges: housing affordability issues, a shortage of rental properties, an overburdened healthcare system, and the looming impacts of climate change.
Yet, time and again, our governments respond to these issues reactively—only stepping in once the crisis becomes unavoidable.
While this approach may win short-term approval as it looks like politicians are “doing something”, these reactive measures just perpetuate cycles of inefficiency and leave Australians paying the price.
Preventative governance—addressing problems at their root before they spiral out of control—is a more cost-effective, logical, and humane approach.
However, it’s a model our political systems struggle to embrace.
In this week’s Demographics Decoded podcast, Simon Kuestenmacher and I explore why this happens, how it hurts us, and why there is still hope for change.
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Why prevention is cheaper and smarter
If you think about it, crises don’t just appear out of thin air—they’re often decades in the making.
Housing affordability, for instance, has been eroding for over 20 years due to underinvestment in supply, poor urban planning, and taxation policies that add to the cost of new supply.
Similarly, we’ve known for decades that Australia’s population is aging, yet our aged-care infrastructure and healthcare systems are grossly underprepared.
Fact is…preventative measures cost less than crisis management in the long term.
Investing in affordable housing before a shortage emerges is far cheaper than addressing homelessness after the fact.
Building sustainable energy infrastructure now will save billions in the future by reducing the costs associated with climate disasters.
But prevention is often “invisible.”
If homelessness is successfully prevented, there are no homeless individuals for politicians to parade as “success stories.”
By contrast, reactive policies—rescuing the homeless or offering emergency energy rebates—generate visible, emotional wins.
This distinction makes prevention a hard sell for politicians.
The political cycle: a barrier to long-term thinking
Australia’s political system prioritises short-term wins.
Politicians operate on a 3–4-year electoral cycle, leaving little incentive to invest in programs that may take a decade or more to bear fruit if they want to be relected in a few year’s time.
This focus on immediate results means resources are poured into reactive policies that generate headlines while preventative measures are underfunded.
As Simon Kuestenmacher aptly noted in our chat, “Statistics don’t vote, but people with immediate problems do.”
Reactive policies help individuals in crisis now, while preventative policies protect broader statistics—like homelessness rates or hospital admissions—over time.
While the latter is more beneficial for society, it’s harder for voters to see or appreciate.
Additionally, the success of preventive policies can undermine their own existence.
Consider the success of Australia’s anti-smoking campaigns.
By significantly reducing smoking rates and the associated healthcare burden, these programs ironically risk losing funding as the problem diminishes.
The same logic applies to preventative healthcare, housing strategies, and climate action.
Once a problem appears “solved,” treasurers looking for somewhere to save money, often target the very programs that created the success.
Examples of prevention done right
Despite these challenges, there are notable examples of preventative policies working both in Australia and abroad:
1. Superannuation in Australia
Introduced in the early 1990s, Australia’s superannuation system tackled the looming crisis in the pension system.
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Requiring workers to save for their own retirement eased pressure on public finances and ensured a more self-sufficient aging population.
While not perfect, it’s a long-term policy success born from proactive thinking.
2. Slip-Slop-Slap campaign
This preventative health campaign has significantly reduced Melanoma rates in Australia.
By encouraging Australians to protect themselves from the sun, it has saved lives and billions in healthcare costs.
3. Anti-smoking initiatives
Over the decades, public health campaigns and regulations have drastically reduced smoking rates in Australia.
The associated reduction in smoking-related illnesses has saved both lives and money.
4. Scandinavian education policies
In countries like Finland, investing in education has reduced social issues like family violence, gender inequality, and poverty.
These societies demonstrate how well-funded education systems serve as preventative measures, addressing multiple problems at their roots.
These examples prove that prevention isn’t just aspirational—it’s achievable and practical.
Why prevention still faces resistance
One of the most significant challenges to implementing preventative policies is their upfront cost.
While they save money in the long run, the initial investment often looks expensive, especially in tight budget cycles like we’re experiencing.
For instance, a comprehensive homelessness prevention program might be far cheaper over decades than reactive measures like shelters and emergency care, but it still requires substantial funding to launch and sustain.
Additionally, the success of preventative measures is intangible.
You don’t notice when you don’t get sick because of vaccination or when you’re not homeless because affordable housing policies were enacted.
This invisibility makes it easy for governments to underfund or even dismantle successful programs.
The generational shift: a reason for optimism
Despite these hurdles, there’s reason to believe change is possible.
As Generation X—a pragmatic and data-driven cohort—assumes leadership roles in politics and business, there’s potential for a shift toward evidence-based, long-term decision-making.
This group is less swayed by emotion and more likely to prioritise what works over what wins votes.
Moreover, younger generations are increasingly community-oriented, environmentally conscious, and socially engaged.
These values create fertile ground for preventative policies, as they align with the public’s desire for systemic change.
From climate action to housing reform, younger Australians are demanding proactive leadership—and politicians will need to listen.
What lies ahead
For Australia to move from reactive to preventative governance, we must change the way we talk about prevention.
Success stories, such as the eradication of smoking-related diseases or the long-term benefits of superannuation, should be celebrated as examples of why prevention works.
Additionally, the private sector offers lessons in accountability that governments can adopt.
Charities, for example, are increasingly required to prove their impact through data and evaluation.
This trend—ensuring every dollar spent delivers measurable outcomes—can guide government policy toward more efficient, evidence-based prevention.
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