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Tag Archives: housing affordability
SAUL ESLAKE. Housing affordability and the 2017-18 Budget: a missed opportunity
Housing affordability was to be a key focus of the Government in this year’s federal budget, according to the ‘nods and winks’ that traditionally precede the Treasurer’s budget speech. A journalist who has often been privy to the thinking of … Continue reading
Posted in Housing, SERIES: Making housing affordable
Tagged foreign investment in housing, housing affordability, housing demand, housing supply, Saul Eslake
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NICOLE GURRAN and PETER PHIBBS. Policy sentiment rather than substance in housing policy
The Federal Treasurer clearly understands the housing affordability pressures facing moderate and low income renters and Australia’s growing homeless. His budget speech set the scene for a package of measures to boost affordable housing supply and recalibrate demand settings. A … Continue reading
Posted in Housing
Tagged affordable housing, federal budget., housing affordability, housing policy, housing supply, social housing
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MUNGO MacCALLUM. And with one bound, our hero was free
Well, perhaps not completely; it will take more than one agile budget to loose Malcolm Turnbull from his self-imposed bondage, He remains chained hand and foot to the right over climate change and same sex marriage, and he cannot remove … Continue reading
Posted in Media, Politics
Tagged Bank levy, climate change, housing affordability, Labor-lite, Malcolm Turnbull, Medicare levy
3 Comments
Making Housing Affordable Series. ROB KOCZKAR. How institutional investment could help housing affordability
Competition between first home buyers and investors is dominating the discussion about housing affordability, but it’s what’s happening a few rungs down the property ladder that is perhaps the greatest cause for concern – the challenges for people trying to … Continue reading
Posted in Housing, SERIES: Making housing affordable
Tagged affordable housing, AHFA, Australian Housing Finance Aggregator, CHPs, Community Housing Providers, first home buyer, HESTA, housing affordability, Housing Finance Corporation (UK), institutional investment, investors, Making Housing Affordable series, private capital, Rob Koczkar, scale, social housing, SVA
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Making Housing Affordable Series. SAUL ESLAKE. The causes and effects of the housing affordability crisis, and what can and should be done about it.
Treasurer Scott Morrison is right in saying that “there are no single or easy solutions” – even though he (and others on his side of politics) tend to ignore this advice in emphasising ‘supply-side solutions’ and decrying any suggestion of … Continue reading
Posted in Housing, SERIES: Making housing affordable
Tagged affordable housing, first time buyers, foreign investors, home buyers, home ownership, housing affordability, housing investment, housing supply, immigration, land tax, Making Housing Affordable series, rental housing, Saul Eslake, stamp duty, tax
5 Comments
Making Housing Affordable Series. NED CUTCHER. Running the private rental market at a loss, for profit
Understanding how unaffordable housing affects renters is increasingly important, since more Australians can expect to rent for longer. How do negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount affect affordability, amenity and security for renters? Encouraging “mums and dads” to … Continue reading
Posted in Housing, SERIES: Making housing affordable
Tagged capital gains tax, first home buyers, home ownership, housing affordability, investors, Making Housing Affordable series, Ned Cutcher, negative gearing, owner occupiers, private rental, rental affordability, rental housing, renters, renting, supply
1 Comment
Making Housing Affordable Series. JOHN DALEY, BRENDAN COATES AND TRENT WILTSHIRE (1). Why should we care about housing affordability?
Housing affordability includes a grab-bag of concerns: less money to spend on goods and services other than housing; falling home ownership rates; worsening access to jobs; increasing wealth inequality between and among generations; and increasing risks of a housing-led economic … Continue reading
Posted in Housing, SERIES: Making housing affordable
Tagged Brendan Coates, budget, capital gains tax, house prices, housing, housing affordability, housing policies, John Daley, land taxes, Making Housing Affordable series, negative gearing, renting, social housing, Trent Wiltshire
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Making Housing Affordable Series. JOHN DALEY, BRENDAN COATES and TRENT WILTSHIRE (2). Sorting reality from the appearance of action on housing affordability.
Governments have raised expectations among voters anxious to see action on housing. There is no shortage of proposed policy solutions. But how do we sort the good from the bad? Many policy ideas sound good, but won’t do much in … Continue reading
Making Housing Affordable Series. TIM WILLIAMS. Housing affordability is not just a supply problem
The housing affordability debate is being wrongly understood as just a supply problem. The real cause of house price inflation is excess liquidity and debt, combined with overly generous tax incentives.
BOB BIRRELL and DAVID McCLOSKEY. Sydney and Melbourne’s housing affordability crisis: no end in sight.
Our projections show that, on these demographic assumptions, new migrants will add about 64 per cent to the need for extra dwellings in Sydney over the decade 2012 to 2022 and 54 per cent in Melbourne.
Posted in Housing, Refugees, Immigration
Tagged Bob Birrell, David McCloskey, housing affordability, migration and housing, The Australian Population Research Institute
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OLIVER FRANKEL. Saul Eslake’s well timed warnings help inform the housing affordability debate
Saul Eslake, one of Australia’s most highly respected independent economists, has sounded some sobering warnings about the impact of declining rates of home ownership (and rising levels of mortgage debt) on Australia’s retirement income system. He has also once again … Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Housing, Politics
Tagged housing affordability, Oliver Frankel, public housing, Saul Eslake, superannuation and housing
4 Comments
JOHN DALEY and BRENDAN COATES. The latest ideas to use super to buy homes are still bad ideas.
Treasurer Scott Morrison wants to use the May budget to ease growing community anxiety about housing affordability. Lots of ideas are being thrown about: the test for the Treasurer is to sort the good from the bad. Reports that the … Continue reading
CAMERON MURRAY. Affordable housing reform.
While the decline of our economic diversity, has failed the average worker, it has been a boon for the landlord class. Those who already own land and housing benefit at the expense of those who want access to housing for … Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Housing, Politics
Tagged Cameron Murray, housing affordability, Sustainable Australia
6 Comments
DOUG CAMERON. Commonwealth can, and must, do more on housing and homelessness
The failure of the market to provide housing for all who need it is compounded by several political failures.
SUSAN RYAN, OLIVER FRANKEL, JOHN MENADUE. Upcoming series on Making Housing Affordable.
After Easter, Pearls and Irritations plans to publish a series ‘Making Housing Affordable‘ addressing key aspects of the housing crisis and recommending solutions, with contributions from a range of experts and other key stakeholders, including economists, planners, demographers, housing providers … Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Housing, Politics
Tagged housing affordability, John Menadue, Making Houses Affordable Series, Oliver Frankel, Susan Ryan
8 Comments
CAROLYN WHITZMAN. States drag feet on affordable housing, with Victoria the worst.
Moral panic over recent increases in visibly homeless people in central Melbourne has brought to the fore the critical shortage of affordable housing across the metropolitan areas of Australia’s wealthiest cities. But living on the street is only the tip … Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Housing, Politics
Tagged AHRC., Carolyn Whitzman, cities, Cities & Policy, housing affordability, housing affordable housing, housing crisis, housing policy, rental housing, social housing, unaffordable housing
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PETER PHIBBS and NICOLE GURRAN. Why housing supply shouldn’t be the only policy tool politicians cling to.
If politicians were serious about the affordability crisis, they would be trying to support the important but underfunded affordable housing sector. Better targeting tax breaks towards new and affordable rental housing, rather than fuelling demand for existing homes, would also … Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Housing, Politics
Tagged Cities & Policy, house prices, housing, housing affordability, housing supply, Nicole Gurran, Peter Phibbs, The Conversation
3 Comments
TIM AYRES. What We Leave Behind: The Case for Universal Inheritance, including an inheritance tax.
Older Australians are enjoying a growing share of Australia’s wealth; the wealth of younger Australians has stagnated. Structural changes to the labour market threatens to leave more young people in low wage, precarious work than any generation before them, and … Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Housing, Infrastructure
Tagged housing affordability, inequality, inheritance tax, Piketty, tax reform, Tim Ayres, Young people
2 Comments
OLIVER FRANKEL. Sydney second to Hong Kong in housing unaffordability
Demographia International’s latest (13th) annual International Housing Affordability Survey provides yet more evidence of the burning issue of housing affordability in Australia, particularly in our largest cities. Sydney ranks second most unaffordable, and Melbourne is only a few places behind … Continue reading
ALAN MORRIS. Why secure and affordable housing is an increasing worry for age pensioners.
There is no doubt that an increasing proportion of older Australians on the age pension will be dependent on the private rental sector in coming decades. This is because of the housing affordability crisis and increasing divorce in later life, … Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Housing, Politics
Tagged age pension, Alan Morris, cities, cities and policy, housing affordability, housing affordable housing, housing costs, pensioners, rental housing, social housing, The Conversation
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SUSAN RYAN. Housing affordability requires immediate government action
The 2016 Intergenerational Report from Treasury predicted that by 2050 the numbers of people in Australia over 65, currently nearly a quarter of the population, will have doubled. Average age expectancy will be over 95 for women and men. Where … Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Housing
Tagged homelessness, housing affordability, inclusionary zoning., negative gearing, older women, poverty, Susan Ryan
1 Comment
OLIVER FRANKEL. Sharing our space (Part 2) – implications for housing affordability
Sharing our space undoubtedly makes accommodation more affordable for those willing to share, albeit with some sacrifice in privacy.
Posted in Economy, Infrastructure
Tagged flat sharing, housing affordability, housing cost-savings, Oliver Frankel, shared accommodation, shared accommodation and privacy
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LAURENCE TROY. Sydney needs higher affordable housing targets.
The release this week by the Greater Sydney Commission of city-wide draft plansmandating some measure of affordable housing in new developments is a step in the right direction. However, the target of 5-10% on rezoned land is too low … Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Infrastructure
Tagged affordable housing, Andrew Troy, economics, housing, housing affordability, housing supply, property market, The Conversation, urbann development
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