Members in the media

News coverage and commentary from Henry Halloran Research Trust members

Members of the Henry Halloran Research Trust regularly appear in the media to comment on housing, development and sustainability issues and policy.

2024

On “Morning with Leon Compton” on 936 ABC Hobart, Emeritus Professor Peter Phibbs discussed the impact of short-term rentals in Tasmania, drawing on his extensive research in housing.

ABC Online discussed the potential for taxes and levies on short-term rentals as a strategy to increase the availability of long-term rental properties. Professor Nicole Gurran supported this approach, highlighting its potential benefits in addressing rental market issues.

On ABC PM with David Lipson, Professor Nicole Gurran discussed the impact of short-term rentals on the long-term rental market.

ABC Online discussed New South Wales' consideration of a new tax on short-term rentals in response to the worsening housing crisis. The article mentions input from NSW Housing Minister and Professor Nicole Gurran.

ABC NewsRadio interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran from Sydney University on the impact of short-term rentals on housing costs.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Airbnb's claim that holiday rentals have a 'minimal' impact on housing costs, citing new data on short-term rentals in NSW. Professor Nicole Gurran commented on the role of these rentals in the housing affordability issue, with the article syndicated across Nine's newspapers.

The Daily Telegraph reported on a study from Sydney University, led by Somwrita Sarkar, Professor Nicole Gurran, and Rashi Shrivastava, highlighting the growing socioeconomic disparities in Australian capital cities. The research underscores the urgency of addressing these social divides.

The Echo is rallying the community to contribute to the vision for Lismore CBD's future, especially in the wake of the 2022 floods that significantly impacted the area. Professor Nicole Gurran among the experts contributing to this effort, highlighting the importance of community involvement in the redevelopment process.

The Lismore App announced that the Living Lab Northern Rivers will host two 'Look Ahead' community meetings in February, inviting public participation in the future development of Lismore CBD. Professor Nicole Gurran is mentioned as a panel member, bringing expertise to the initiative.

The Northern Rivers Times reported on the Living Lab Northern Rivers initiative, which is encouraging the Lismore community to participate in shaping the future of the Lismore CBD. Professor Nicole Gurran is part of the panel leading this effort, aiming to integrate community insights and expectations into the development process.

ABC NewsRadio interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran, who discussed the role of housing construction in addressing Australia's housing shortage crisis. She supports the notion that increasing land supply is crucial for new home construction.

ABC Online discussed the challenges facing the Federal Government's housing plan, particularly highlighting low approval rates as a critical issue. The article includes insights from Professor Nicole Gurran and representatives from the Housing Industry Association and Everybody's Home campaign, emphasizing the difficulties in achieving the goal of constructing over one million new homes in the next five years.me value.

2023

ABC NewsRadio featured Professor Nicole Gurran discussing the impact of increased migration on the housing accessibility for Australian citizens.

Bnn.network covered Australia's rental crisis, focusing on how it is pushing renters towards homeownership. The article includes Professor Nicole Gurran's insights on the situation.

The Daily Telegraph reported on concerns from leading economists, including Dr Cameron Murray, regarding the potential for Queensland's doubled first-homebuyer grant to further inflate housing prices.

Tweed Valley Weekly reported on the ongoing crackdown on short-term holiday letting in the Tweed Shire, highlighting comments from housing expert Professor Peter Phibbs on the need to manage the growth of such lettings.

ABC Online featured an interview on ABC Radio Nightlife, broadcast across Australia, discussing the potential of granny flats as a solution to the housing shortage, with contributions from Professor Nicole Gurran.

ABC NewsRadio featured Professor Nicole Gurran, discussing the impact of government policy choices on urban planning and policy.

The Guardian reported on the debate over minimum apartment sizes in Australian cities amidst the housing crisis, citing comments from Professor Nicole Gurran.

ABC Online explored the possibility of ending homelessness in Australia within ten years, featuring insights from Nicole Gurran.

Elite Agent Magazine covered a piece co-written by Emeritus Professor Peter Phibbs and Professor Nicole Gurran, originally published in The Conversation, analysing whether the Victorian government's regulations on short-stay accommodation will increase long-term rental supply or if other policies might be more effective.

City Road Podcast featured a podcast titled 'Contested Futures', chaired by Professor Nicole Gurran, focusing on the similarities between New Orleans and Australia's Northern Rivers in handling natural disasters.

The Guardian reported on a study identifying granny flats as a potential solution to Australia’s housing crisis, including insights from Professor Nicole Gurran, who co-authored the report.

ABC NewsRadio aired an interview with Professor Nicole Gurran, discussing urban and regional planning issues. This segment was syndicated across ABC radio.

Otago Daily Times featured a piece advocating for the establishment of state builders and the revival of public housing construction, referencing Professor Nicole Gurran's insights on historical housing trends.

ABC Online reported on new research estimating the economic benefits of 40,000 new social and affordable houses, with Professor Nicole Gurran expressing skepticism about the accuracy of these projections.

The Daily Mail discussed a retro public builder plan as a potential solution to Australia's housing crisis, quoting Professor Nicole Gurran. The article has been widely syndicated across Australia.

Accom News covered a piece by Peter Phibbs and Nicole Gurran, evaluating whether the Victorian government's new regulations on short-stay accommodation will effectively boost long-term rental supply or if other policies would be more beneficial.

ABC NewsRadio featured Professor Nicole Gurran, discussing the short-term rental market.

ABC Online reported on Byron Bay's introduction of a 60-day cap on Airbnb and Stayz rentals, featuring comments from Professor Nicole Gurran.

ABC Canberra interviewed Emeritus Professor Peter Phibbs on the implications of taxing short-stay accommodation.

SBS News explored the effectiveness of a levy on short-term stays in solving Australia's rental crisis, featuring a syndicated piece originally published in The Conversation by Professor Nicole Gurran and Emeritus Professor Peter Phibbs.

SBS News featured insights from Professor Nicole Gurran on the taxation of short-stay accommodation markets.

ABC News interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the impact of the Victorian Government's new levies on short stay accommodation platforms.

Triple J Radio featured Professor Nicole Gurran, discussing the Victorian Government's decision to impose levies on short-term stay accommodation platforms.

ABC Online examined the potential effectiveness of Victoria's new tax on Airbnb and other short-stay rentals, featuring insights from Professor Nicole Gurran.

Forbes Australia reported on Airbnb's challenges in the Australian market, referencing insights from Professor Nicole Gurran.

ABC Radio interviewed with Professor Nicole Gurran about Victoria’s proposed short term rentals levy.

774 ABC Melbourne featured an interview with Professor Nicole Gurran on the Australian housing crisis.

ABC Online reported on the scrutiny of fixed price contracts in the building industry, featuring an interview with Professor Nicole Gurran on The World Today, in the context of another South Australian building company's collapse.

ABC Online interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran, discussing the proposed 1,000% council rate rise for Airbnbs in Brisbane.

Architecture AU highlighted the Festival of 'Contested' Urbanism 2023, featuring Professor Nicole Gurran, Dr Luke Hespanhol, Dr Sophia Maalsen, Professor Rosemary Lyster, Dr Robert Stokes, Tegan Mitchell, and Dr Elizabeth Farrelly, addressing key urban planning and design issues.

The Saturday Age quoted Professor Nicole Gurran on the feasibility of houseboats as housing alternatives.

All Homes featured an article by Kate Jones exploring the role of houseboats in addressing Australia's housing supply issues. Professor Nicole Gurran commented on the limitations and potential of houseboats as a housing alternative, focusing on the broader issue of access to existing housing units in Australian cities.

ABC 7.30 featured Professor Nicole Gurran, who discussed the impact of short-term rentals like Airbnb on Australia’s housing affordability crisis, highlighting the need for regulation in the sector.

ABC NewsRadio interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the complexities of using housing as a source of wealth.

The Project interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the housing crisis.

The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Cameron Murray, discussing the shortcomings of the SRL’s funding proposals and suggesting alternative revenue sources such as developing commercial properties and imposing a 'betterment levy'.

The Australian Financial Review referenced the Henry Halloran Research Trust, discussing its view on rent freezes and housing regulations, and highlighting a letter to the Senate that challenges claims of a capitalist plot influencing housing construction.

ABC News interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about City of Melbourne council’s in-principle approval for regulations on short-stay rental accommodation.

The Guardian covered Melbourne City Council's in-principle vote for new regulations on short-stay rentals to address the housing crisis, featuring insights from Dr. Michael Fotheringham and Professor Nicole Gurran.

ABC News interviewed with Professor Nicole Gurran about the rental crisis and mixed tenure projects.

Newcastle Herald discussed the National Planning Reform Blueprint and its shortcomings in addressing market constraints in Australia's housing sector. The piece, featuring insights from Professor Nicole Gurran.

ABC News interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the federal government's new plan to address the rental crisis, involving a $15,000 incentive for each new home built.

Sydney Morning Herald published an article by Professor Nicole Gurran on the challenges and solutions in Australia's housing supply crisis.

Property News Australia quoted Professor Nicole Gurran’s opinion on the current research challenges on shared housing.

News.com.au interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the limitations research faces due to informal share housing arrangements.

The Canberra Times quoted Dr Cameron Murray’s HouseMate proposal, as an alternative option to CFMEU’s proposed super tax, as additional funds to solve Australia’s housing crisis.”

Nine News interviewed Cameron Murray about inflation.

ABC News interviewed Cameron Murray about tax on corporate super-profit to combat the housing crisis.

ABC South East interviewed Professor Cameron Murray about door knocking for property sales.

ABC News interviewed Associate Professor Tooran Alizadeh about how Sydney can expand.

ABC Sunshine Coast interviewed Mr Cameron Murray about renting and property loans.

Ausbiz interviewed Cameron Murray about how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the housing market.

ABC Sunshine Coast interviewed Cameron Murray about the political discourse on rent freezing.

The Guardian published an opinion piece by Cameron Murray about how a national rent freeze could work.

Sydney Morning Herald interviewed Cameron Murray about Sydney’s housing supply.

ABC Radio Canberra interviewed Cameron Murray about tenancy laws.

ABC Radio Canberra interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the difficulties of regulating holiday lets. Glen Innes Examiner paraphrased Professor Gurran’s argument that increasing housing supply isn’t the only way of combatting the housing crisis.

ABC News interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about whether a national rent freeze would work.

ABC Sunshine Coast interviewed Cameron Murray about rent control.

ABC Radio National interviewed Professor Nichole Gurran about essential workers being priced out of living in the communities they work in.

The Sydney Morning Herald interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran in an article about St Mary’s Cathedral School’s plans to convert a city high-rise into a new campus.

Sun-Herald columnist Parnell Palme McGuiness quoted Mr Cameron Murray in an article about how ‘YIMBYs’ – Yes, In My Backyard – can take the heat out of the housing crisis.

The Sydney Morning Herald interviewed Mr Cameron Murray about the current ‘feeling of crisis’ felt by the ‘anxious educated classes.

3AW interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the housing crisis.

The Canberra Times (syndicated across Australian Associated Press) published an opinion piece by Professor Nicole Gurran about why building more houses won’t solve the housing crisis. 6PR and The Project interviewed Professor Gurran about short-term rentals.

WA Today quoted Professor Nicole Gurran in an article about the rise of Airbnb rental properties in Perth.

The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Professor Nicole Gurran about the need for further government intervention into the issue of short-term holiday rentals in Sydney, warning without it “the situation will worsen for renters”. The article was syndicated on Nine.com.au.

Nine.com.au (syndicated from Domain) interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the alarming increase in short-term lets during the rental crisis.

Sydney Morning Herald interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the rise of Airbnbs.

2SER interviewed Associate Professor Tooran Alizadeh about who gets to name Western Sydney’s newest city.

Wentworth Courier interviewed Associate Professor Dallas Rogers about ‘hostile design,’ which describes an urban design that deterred the use of public space by young people and unhoused people.

ABC News interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the shortage of affordable housing.

ABC News interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about affordable housing and the Business Council of Australia’s new report.

Architecture & Design republished The Conversation piece by Associate Professor Tooran Alizadeh, Dr Rebecca Clements and Associate Professor Glen Searle which looks at the Western Parkland Development and the new Bradfield city.

ABC Radio Canberra and ABC News interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the Australian Green’s proposed rental freeze bill.

The Conversation published an article by Associate Professor Tooran Alizadeh, Associate Professor Glen Searle and Dr Rebecca Clements about renaming Sydney’s Western Parkland region as the NSW Government’s project turning it into a new city unfolds.

ABC Radio Adelaide interviewed Dr Cameron Murray about the housing crisis and what’s needed to increase home ownership and how the government can minimise the disruption to home owners during inflationary periods.

ABC Radio Adelaide interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about short-stay accommodation.

ABC News interviewed Mr Cameron Murray about housing prices. ABC Radio Brisbane interviewed Mr Murray about first home buyers.

ABC Radio National interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the migration review and implications for infrastructure and housing.

ABC Radio Sydney interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about short-term rentals, and the pending decision to allow Byron Council to impose a cap on nightly rentals.

Rental crisis: Revenue from short-term rentals on Airbnb, Stayz surges in tourist hotspots (afr.com) quoted Professor Nicole Gurran who called on state and local governments to work together to prevent further losses of long-term rental supply in the wake of the rental crisis and effects of short-term rental sites such as Airbnb.

Renters relying on hacks to dodge housing crisis, as advocates call for cultural change - ABC News interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the rental crisis.

ABC Radio Adelaide interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran on short term rental prices.

Domain  quoted Professor Nicole Gurran about whether purchasing or renting a house after the election will be easier, based on both parties’ housing policies.

ABC Radio Brisbane  interviewed Research Fellow Cameron Murray from the Henry Halloran Trust  about affordable housing.

Architecture & Design  syndicated The Conversation  article by Professor Nicole Gurran and Professor Emeritus Peter Phibbs about Australia’s ‘light touch’ with Airbnb.

ABC NewsABC Radio Adelaide  and ABC Mid North Coast  interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the various issues and topics related to the housing crisis.

ABC News  interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the housing crisis and regulating Airbnb.

The Conversation  published an article by Professor Nicole Gurran and Professor Emeritus Peter Phibbs from the Henry Halloran Research Trust  about regulating houses used for Airbnb-like accommodation.

Australian Financial Review  quoted Professor Nicole Gurran about why women are held back from home ownership.

SBS News  interviewed Professor John Stanley and Professor Nicole Gurran about 15 minute cities.

ABC News  interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about affordable housing in London.

ABC Radio Hobart interviewed Professor Emeritus Peter Phibbs from the Henry Holloran Research Trust about Tasmania requiring permits from people planning to list their house on Airbnb.

Sydney Morning Herald interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the housing crisis and why the type of supply is just as important as supply.

ABC News Daily interviewed Mr Cameron Murray about the rental crisis and his proposed solution.

ABC Radio Australia Wide  interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the national housing crisis.

The Conversation published an article by Dr Jennifer Kent, Dr Marlee Bower, and Honorary Adjunct Lecturer Dr Emily J Ruge about how loneliness is a product of the cities we create and a shared burden.

The Guardian quoted Professor Nicole Gurran about Sydney’s expensive road tolls.

Nine News interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about Australia’s rental crisis.

ABC Radio Canberra interviewed Dr Cameron Murray about new legislation for first home buyers.

2GB interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the rental crisis. ABC News interviewed Professor Gurran about first home buyers.

The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Professor Nicole Gurran about the need for affordable housing.

6PR interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about how Australia’s rental market is under “unprecedented pressure”. ABC Online also quoted Professor Gurran in an article about Airbnb’s influence on Australia’s rental crisis.

Hobart Mercury (syndicated) quoted Emeritus Professor Peter Phibbs about a study he led that found more than two-thirds of short-stay accommodation listings in Tasmania’s second largest city were previously long-term rentals.

ABC Radio Newcastle interviewed Dr Caitlin Buckle about how demographers are working on analysing and understanding housing trends revealed in Census data from 2021.

ABC Radio Canberra interviewed Dr Cameron Murray about the record fall in the national home value.

2022

ABC Radio interviewed Professor Emeritus Peter Phibbs from the Henry Halloran Research Trust about the housing crisis in Hobart.

ABC Radio Hobart interviewed Professor Emeritus Peter Phibbs from the Henry Halloran Research Trust about Hobart’s housing market.

Daily Mail Online - Australia's rental crisis in Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Perth now the worst since Great Depression.

ABC Radio National - National Housing Accord—one million new homes promised.

The Guardian - Why do we have such low rental vacancy? It doesn’t mean a shortage of houses. Cameron Murray 

ABC Radio National - The Roundtable: Innovations in social housing.

ABC Radio - Government announces plans to address the housing crisis.

TheConversation - The market has failed to give Australians affordable housing, so don't expect it to solve the crisis.

Bloomberg - Sydney Looks to Amp Up Nightlife to Shed Sleepy Reputation

ABC Radio Mornings interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the Festival of Urbanism and the topic of platform urbanism.

Architecture and Design and Architecture Au reported on the Festival of Urbanism and quoted Professor Nicole Gurran.

Artichoke Sydney quoted Kate Goodwin about shifts in Australian design.

ABC RN interviewed Elle Davidson and Dr Danièle Hromek, about First Nations’ architecture and urban planning.

Dallas Rogers - The Philosopher's Zone Three part series on housing

Dallas Rogers is producing a three-part series about housing on Radio National’s program, The Philosopher’s Zone with David Rutledge.

Listen to Episode 1 – Care Ethics, here.
Listen to Episode 2 – Rent, here.
Episode 3 will be broadcast on Sunday 18 Sept at 5.30pm.

The Conversation published an article co-authored by Cameron Murray, Research Fellow at the Henry Halloran Research Trust, which looked at an experiment conducted to see whether everyday people get seduced into favouring their mates at the expense of others. 

Australian Design Review published a story on Tin Shed gallery, Bill Lucas: Architect Utopian.

The Sydney Morning Herald (syndicated) reported on housing and inflation mentioning Dr Cameron Murray from the Henry Halloran Research Trust.

ABC Radio Sydney interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about why high-rise buildings aren’t necessarily the solution for housing affordability. 

WA Today quoted Professor Nicole Gurran in an article about how “the number of properties listed on Airbnb has skyrocketed above pre-pandemic levels”.

The Sydney Morning Herald (syndicated across Nine Publishing) quoted Professor Nicole Gurran in an article about Sydney’s housing stress “hotspots”.

Sun Herald (syndicated across Nine Publishing) quoted Professor Nicole Gurran about how Sydney recorded tens of thousands of empty homes on census night, with the lockdown and hard international border closure pushing vacancies higher than 2016.

ABC Statewide Drive interviewed Professor Peter Phibbs about new laws in Tasmania which will crack down on the number of houses that can be made into short term stays with the aim that it will lead to more rentals. 

ABC Radio News discussed the current construction and housing crisis with Dr Cameron Murray.

The Sydney Morning Herald (syndicated) reported owners of Reddam House are to turn a Harry Seidler building into a new school, quoting Professor Nicole Gurran.

Sydney Morning Herald quoted Professor Nicole Curran on the need to build more high-rise schools to match growing demand in high density areas.

Architecture & Design published a story about French architects Anne Lacaton and Jean Philippe Vassal, who are in Australia for the first time since being appointed the inaugural Garry and Susan Rothwell Chairs in Architectural Design Leadership for the School of Architecture, Design and Planning.

ABC North Coast interviewed Cameron Murray about his co-authored report the Staged Releases: Peering Behind the Land Supply Curtain.

The Guardian cited Dr Cameron Murray in an article on the need to revitalise public housing programs.

Sky News interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about how it is still possible for Australia to return to the “golden period” of housing policy.

7 News interviewed Dr Cameron Murray about the Reserve Bank of Australia’s latest interest rate decision.

The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Professor Nicole Gurran on how both policies would put only modest upward pressure on prices at the moment as rising interest rates pulled prices down, but said Labor’s shared equity scheme was marginally less risky for households as it offered a smaller mortgage.

ABC Late Night Live interviewed Professor Nicole about the “ideas being floated to fix Australia’s housing crisis”.

Community Radio Skid Row Professor Nicole discusses the housing crisis in Australia, and the housing policies of Labor, Liberal and The Greens.

ABC News interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran for After 10 years of Airbnb and short-stay rentals, is Australia ready for regulation?

ABC Radio National interviewed Professor Peter Phibbs about the proposed home ownership models.

WA Today also quoted Professor Gurran in a story on access to homes reserved for new home buyers. 

ABC 7.30 interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran for a special report on housing affordability and the latest major announcement from the Coalition, that would see first home buyers use their super to help them with their deposit. 

Architecture and Design quoted Professor Nicole Gurran and Dr Cameron Murray on how political legisation could ensure a certain percentage of homes are affordable and solely reserved for first home buyers.

ABC Radio Professor Nicole Gurran on Will Albanese deliver relief in public housing?

The Sydney Morning Herald (syndicated across Nine Publishing) quoted Professor Nicole Gurran from the School of Architecture, Design and Planning in an article about Sydney’s housing stress “hotspots”.

ABC Online quoted Professor Nicole Gurran about how rent assistance payment has been too low for some time and that if the government wants to improve the cost of living, increasing the rental assistance payment is a logical solution.

The West Australian quoted Professor Nicole Gurran about how availability issues cause rental market prices to soar.

Macrobusiness cited Dr Cameron Murray on how housing affordability is a distraction promoted by vested interests and reinforced by political incentives.

The New Daily quoted Dr Cameron Murray's view on the Tax and Revenue Committee's report on housing affordability and supply.

Your Investment Property cited Professor Nicole Gurran about how The Budget must restore investment in new social and affordable housing supply and increase the rent assistance subsidy for low-income earners.

2GB interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran on how short term rentals like Airbnb are impacting regional housing and making it hard to afford.

The Conversation published a piece by Dr Cameron Murray about how "HouseMate", a Singapore-inspired idea for using super for housing can cut costs by 50%.

The Sydney Morning Herald cited Professor Nicole Gurran on how poor housing affordability could become a significant risk factor during the pandemic.

Opinion

By Nicole Gurran, Emma Baker and Peter Phibbs

March 31, 2022

Opinion piece originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald

 

For a government professing concern about home ownership, new supply and affordability, the measures in this week’s budget fell flat – benefitting few, largely ignoring renters, and extending underperforming existing policy.

To some extent there were no surprises. The rhetorical emphasis on home ownership was laid down this month in the parliamentary report on Housing Supply and Affordability in Australia. Chaired by Liberal MP Jason Falinski, the report framed Australia as a “home-owning democracy” where “living under a landlord” represents a failure of that ideal.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s suggestion this week that the best way to help renters is to “help them to buy a house” shows us how deep this belief is. It ignores the reality that roughly a third of us rent, a third own our homes outright, and a third have a mortgage. The housing situation of very few Australians will be touched by any of the announcements.

The headline giveaway in the budget extended existing government guarantees for first-home buyers and will allow more than 50,000 households to take out low-deposit loans. It will no doubt be attractive for moderate income households able to borrow up to $760,000 for a property. But with interest rates set to rise, and the government’s own budget papers forecasting house prices to cool over the next 12 months, the decision to extend the scheme – which will stimulate demand without creating new supply – seems puzzling.

The budget also offers some targeted support for buyers of new homes in regional and remote areas. But the regional crisis is largely in the rental sector, where immediate relief is urgently needed.

Australia’s roughly 8 million renters have largely been left in the cold. Our 500,000 very low-income renters will remain in rental stress, and our public housing waiting lists will remain essentially unchanged. While about 1.2 million negatively geared landlords continue to claim rental losses, pleas to increase the Commonwealth Rental Assistance subsidy (currently about $4.7 billion a year) have been ignored.

There’s no real additional commitment to social housing, aside from a $2 billion extension to the affordable housing bond aggregator, extending the amount available for non-profit providers to borrow via the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation. This will support an estimated 10,000 new social housing units, against a current waiting list of about 160,000 households.

Perhaps the real constraint is a fear that effective housing affordability measures might cause property prices to fall – undermining consumer confidence, dampening historically high rates of new housing construction, and triggering a backlash from voters now exposed to eye-watering levels of debt.

By Nicole Gurran

May 2, 2022

Opinion piece originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald

 

With cost of living pressures starting to bite, housing affordability has moved to centre stage of the election campaign, but the policies of the two major parties are unlikely to deliver much relief to home owners or renters because when it comes down to it, neither party wants house values to fall.

Labor hopes to woo voters with a promise to help 10,000 aspiring first home buyers into the market via a new shared equity scheme. By the government taking on up to 40 per cent of the price of a new home (or 30 per cent of an existing property), Labor’s scheme will help moderate-income earners by reducing the amount they need to borrow upfront. It will allow qualifying households with at least a 2 per cent deposit to get into the market, and allow them to ultimately buy back the government’s equity share in their property over time, as their circumstances improve.

Shared equity schemes can help moderate-income earners because they reduce both the total loan amount as well as the deposit needed to buy a home. Several Australian states have modest schemes like this in place and they are well established in Britain. But unless they are targeted to dedicated new housing stock, Labor’s scheme may simply contribute to more house price inflation. The Greens’ shared equity scheme aims to underwrite a more ambitious 125,000 homes and is targeted at key workers.

The Liberal Party’s home deposit guarantee scheme allows moderate to higher income earners to take out home loans with only a 5 per cent deposit (or 2 per cent for single parents). Labor has a similar scheme for up to 10,000 first home buyers in regional areas. While likely to be popular with eligible first home buyers, experts have criticised the approach as fuelling demand without contributing to new housing supply. Worse, the scheme encourages first home buyers to take on very high levels of debt, at a time with interest rates are projected to rise, but the property market expected to cool.

What about renters? And with rents beginning to escalate especially in regional areas, the fastest relief for renters would be to increase rental subsidies, but neither party has promised to extend or increase rent assistance beyond the consumer price index.

The two major parties do not want house prices to fall because high house prices make the two-thirds of Australians who already own their homes feel wealthier, and that supports consumer confidence. Buoyant house prices also support new construction, one of Australia’s largest industries of employment. The combined spectre of rising costs of living, interest rate hikes, and falling house prices will exacerbate pressures across the entire economy.

With these economic headwinds gathering, it is mystifying that neither of the major parties are offering a significant boost to new social and affordable housing supply. Labor has made a modest commitment to increase the supply of social and affordable homes, funding 30,000 over the next three years. But with research pointing to a current undersupply of about half a million such dwellings, this promise is not enough.

For the past two decades, both sides of politics have emphasised housing supply as the answer to worsening affordability. But while the private market has delivered record levels of housing construction over the past five years, the supply of social housing has barely changed. With a cooling property market, the economic impetus for new private sector housing construction will also falter, affecting the construction industry.

In the past, government support for social housing construction offered counter-cyclical relief to the building industry, while ensuring that the supply of new homes matched population growth, not the vagaries of the housing market. Labor’s election policy does signal that the Commonwealth will resume its leading role in setting a national housing and homelessness plan, something which is sorely lacking in Australia.

Let’s hope that before the election, all parties add more weight to their promises around housing. To help first home buyers, any shared equity program should be linked to affordable and environmentally resilient new construction, leveraging the land use planning powers of the states. A much higher commitment to fund social and affordable housing is also necessary to meet existing backlog and forecast need. And Commonwealth Rent Assistance must be raised.

2021

Domain quoted Professor Nicole Gurran about there is a need to increase supply of social and affordable housing stock and improve the sustainability of housing built.

2020

Dr Cameron Murray's article titled 'Our states are crying poor. They wouldn’t if they charged for rezoning like the ACT', published in The Conversation.

Dr Cameron Murray's article titled 'The truth behind the housing supply nonsense', published in The Fifth Estate.

Dr Cameron Murray and our Director Professor Peter Phibbs on funding mechanisms for urban infrastructure, published in The Sydney Morning Herald.

The Conversation - Our Practitioner in Residence – Halvard Dalheim.

Halvard Dalheim on RNZ talking about his Conversation article – 10 minutes 37 second.