The Australian Financial Review ran a piece by Lucy Dean that should make anyone interested in housing policy pause for thought. According to data released by Housing Minister Clare O’Neil, 5,778 people bought homes in October using the federal government’s expanded 5% deposit scheme -roughly one in ten of all home sales that month. On paper,…
When we talk about Australia’s housing crisis, the focus tends to fall on two things: supply versus demand. This post looks at one aspect of supply which is often (well frankly almost always) overlooked – spare bedrooms. Now the headlines cry “Build more homes,” and yes, in many cases, that’s the right answer. But what…
National rental vacancy rates have fallen off a cliff since Covid. They dropped from the “normal” 2% to 3% range in the late 2010s to barely 1% since 2021. That’s as tight as I’ve ever seen in the data – and as the charts show, there’s been no bounce back across most major urban areas…
The 2025 Australian Cooperative Election Survey (ACES) reveals a nation united in anxiety but divided in diagnosis. Nearly nine in ten Australians agree the country faces a housing crisis, yet opinions on the causes and solutions split sharply along ideological lines. Renters and younger voters see affordability and wages as the core problem; older and more…
Affordability is one of those slippery words that gets thrown around, but there are a few accepted ways analysts and policymakers measure it. They fall into three broad camps: price/rent to income ratios, repayment/rent burdens, and residual income tests. And whilst there are warts on all methods I like to use price or rent to household income…
There is a lot of noise being bantered about regarding property investment of late. No surprises here given the recent federal election result, the tightness of the countries rental market and changes to property investment taxation potentially coming our way, thanks to the Labor Party, Greens and a weak opposition. I don’t want to join…
Urban planning in Australia is often built on shaky assumptions. Myths perpetuate. This post covers three such urban myths. Myth 1 – Higher densities mean less traffic The theory is that higher densities around existing public transport networks will see a lift in public transport use and fewer cars on the road. Public transport accounts…
What’s the Australian housing market likely to do in fiscal 26? And are we staring down the barrel of a recession? I get asked about the R word a lot these days. Increasingly so. So, let’s tackle both, because the two are more intertwined than most think. The recession question First things first. Are we…
Aussies like their space. Always have. In fact, according to the latest data from World Population Review, Australia ranks number one in the world when it comes to average house size, coming in at a whopping 214 square metres. That’s bigger than the average home in the United States (201 m²), Canada (181 m²), or…
Not all cheap areas are good buys, and a housing boom isn’t just about affordability – it’s about a mix of key factors. Here are seven indicators that signal potential growth: 1. Population Growth – A booming market must attract more residents. If an area’s growth rate exceeds its 10-year average, it’s a positive sign….
