Fixing the housing crisis with Alan Kohler | Between the Lines
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The Wrap with Amy Remeikis
We have made it to the time of year when we all think that if we can just get to the end, that things are going to be better.
It makes sense – we turn over calendars, set resolutions and embrace the potential of a new year.
It’s almost like an extreme, universal experience of the doorway effect, the psychological phenomenon of short term memory loss while crossing from one boundary to another (if you have ever walked into a room to get something and then immediately forgotten why you were there, you have experienced the doorway effect).
But just as we eventually remember what we wanted from the other room, so too do we remember the unfinished business of the year before.
Opening up a new calendar is just the turning of a page. Nothing has fundamentally changed before or after that moment beyond being faced with a blank sheet. And no matter how much we may wish it, the turning of one year to another does not put a full stop on the issues we experienced in the year before.
The world is going to continue to be a complicated, sometimes horrifying, often confounding place. But with that comes the beauty and the simple moments of joy and delight, pleasant surprises and everything in between. Changing the calendar doesn’t change the world. But you, working to bring about change, does.
And so why this time of year would often mean we reflect on the wins – and there have been those – it can be more productive to look at what still needs to be done.
The political situation in Australia is unsettled – we are at the point in the cycle where both major parties are desperately trying to define the other and stamp down on issues rather than address them. Anthony Albanese visiting salmon workers at Tasmania’s west coast recently, to declare he stands with them, with most reporting framing the visit as ‘shoring up electorates’ instead of an environmental battle to save the Maugean skate, is just one example.
There is a habit within the Australian media to see everything through the binary of politics – and the binary within the binary. The thought, for example, that the workers who would be impacted by a ban on salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour could be helped and supported while also saving the harbour and the skate, is rarely discussed. Instead, it is a binary choice; workers or the environment. And in this climate, with so much of the media framing situations through Peter Dutton’s take, the Albanese government has not yet found the courage to do what it knows is right.
Housing is another example. Australia’s housing affordability crisis – where people earning the median wage can not afford to buy the median-priced house or unit, let alone anyone earning below that – is not that difficult to solve. Increase supply and lower demand by removing the incentives that treat properties as investment vehicles, instead of what they are – someone’s home. But in the binary world of politics, politicians weigh up people who have homes and the wealth contained within them versus those who don’t. And in that situation, you get comments like those housing minister Clare O’Neil made recently, where she said that the government didn’t want housing prices to drop.
But if nothing is done about housing affordability now then it will mean decades of what we are seeing now – and worse. A government that was bold enough could step in and increase public housing – for anyone who needs it. If we have public housing programs for those in the defence force, then why not teachers, nurses or anyone else who needs it? It’s simple and we know it works. Just like we know that changing the tax incentives and increasing supply will help make housing more affordable again. But that doesn’t fit into the binary world the political and media class like to pretend we live in.
There are so many more examples. We’ll probably spend the next few months listening to a ridiculous back and forth over the Coalition’s nuclear plan, when the policy itself is just a giant distraction ploy. We’ll continue to hear about coal and fossil fuels being the ‘backbone’ of state economies, when the data says differently – and that’s just on the figures, not on the environmental and climate cost. You’ll see vested interests run strong campaigns in favour of the status quo as they attempt to stamp out any push for change. All this and more, in an election year.
But what it means, is that you have so much more power than you know. Politicians, vested interests and the media might be trying to frame everything through binary choices, but we know you see more. That you, like us, can see pathways through that don’t just mean this or that. And that the end of the year doesn’t mean we shut the door and start afresh, but that we take what we have learnt and continue to use it for good. And that we don’t lose focus on what needs to be done.
That being said, we hope you take a moment to reflect on all you have achieved this year, and what you have helped us do. We couldn’t do it without you. Truly.
And mostly, we also hope that you take some time to rest, switch off and recharge. The numbers might change, but the mission doesn’t. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take some time to remember what you are fighting for.
We’ll be right here when you get back.
Take care of you. Amy x
— Amy Remeikis is the Chief Political Strategist at the Australia Institute
The Big Stories
Power gouge: how AGL and Origin are milking monster profits from battling families
Our analysis shows the extent to which energy companies are gouging Australian customers.
For every $100 paid by a retail customer of AGL, a mere $12 goes towards generating the electricity. Meanwhile, $35 of every $100 goes to the energy company’s profit.
Furthermore, the analysis shows that consumers are paying more than twice as much as big business for the same amount of electricity.
NSW spends more money supporting coal than moving away from it
The NSW Government is currently spending significantly more public money promoting coal than helping regional communities’ transition away from it, our new report shows.
The NSW Government’s proposed Future Jobs and Investment Authorities for the Hunter, Illawarra, Central West and North West regions aim to assist coal-reliant communities’ transition. But they are severely underfunded with a collective budget of just $5.2 million.
In contrast, organisations devoted to promoting and prolonging the NSW coal industry have significantly more resources:
- Coal Innovation NSW spent $27 million last year and has a balance of $45 million.
- The coal industry organisation Low Emissions Technology Australia (LETA) is promoted as a $700 million fund. This fund is publicly subsidised, but recently asked to stop receiving contributions due to a significant surplus of funding.
The Australia Institute Essential Reading List 2024
As the year draws to a close, the Australia Institute team has compiled a list of our favourite essential reads of 2024.
9,000+ sign petition to protect the Maugean Skate
Intensive salmon farming is risking the extinction of the endangered Maugean skate in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour, part of Tasmania’s Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
Australia Institute research shows there are many ways to protect Tasmanian jobs, but science tells us there is only one way to protect the endangered skate – salmon farms must be taken out of Macquarie Harbour.
Nuclear costings are a distraction
The Coalition’s release of a report on nuclear energy is little more than a distraction from Australia’s ongoing fossil fuel use and production.
“These are fake numbers so the major parties can have a fake fight about fake climate policies,” said Rod Campbell, Research Director at The Australia Institute.
“Nuclear energy is not suitable for Australia’s energy market because it is expensive to build, can’t turn up or down quickly and the obvious nuclear waste problems.
“Australia needs to get on with the job of cleaning up our industries using technologies that work – renewable energy.”
Growing food for a healthier life and healthier planet
Australians are hungry to grow their own food and the reasons are simple: growing your own food is healthier and better for the planet, writes Evie Simpson, research at the Australia Institute.
By investing in community gardens and gardening programs, we can empower more Australians to grow their own food, reduce food waste, and create healthier, more sustainable communities. The benefits go beyond the garden—helping individuals, communities, and the environment thrive.
Is it time to implement proportional speeding fines?
If you earn $50,000 a year, a $361 fine is equal to more than a third of your weekly salary. If you earn $200,000, it is less than 1% of your weekly salary. This is not a fair system.
We’ve looked at how a proportional speeding fine system (like Finland has) could work in Australia. Olivia Chollet explains.
The Win
In good news for Australia’s transport emissions, electric vehicle sales have reached new heights in Australia, representing almost one in every 10 vehicles bought in 2024, with popularity expected to almost double over the next two years, the Guardian reports.
The Bin
Peter Dutton plans to revive Scott Morrison’s ‘gas-fired recovery’, apparently to reduce energy bills.
The problem is, gas is a far more expensive way of producing electricity than renewable energy. Making Australians even more dependent on gas will drive up energy bills for Australian households and businesses.
“It beggars belief that the Coalition would propose cutting energy bills by making Australians more dependent on gas and the multinational gas companies that dominate the Australian gas market”, said Mark Ogge, Principle Adviser at The Australia Institute.
The Quote
“House prices need to not increase for a while. Both to restore the price-to-income ratio to something approaching what it was, and secondly, to change everyone’s minds about what housing is about,”
said Alan Kohler, on our Follow the Money podcast.
“Housing should be a place to live, not something you invest in.”
Podcasts
Fixing Australia’s housing crisis with Alan Kohler | Follow the Money
Acclaimed financial journalist Alan Kohler joins Ebony Bennett to discuss the policies that created Australia’s housing crisis and how governments can fix it.
Listen now:
Kissing the ring | After America
Don Watson joins us to discuss Trump’s beyond-bizarre cabinet selections, Joe Biden’s tainted legacy, and what this might all mean for Australia on the final episode of After America for 2024.
Listen now:
It’s all Greg’s fault | Dollars & Sense
Greg Jericho answers your burning questions about the economy in the final episode of 2024.
Listen now:
Join our team!
Hiring: Postdoctoral Research Fellow
As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, you will apply the skills and knowledge gained in your PhD to Australia Institute research projects. You will learn how to extend your research abilities beyond academia and enhance your communications skills so that you can disseminate your research to policymakers, key stakeholders, and the general public.
For further information, please see the position description. The deadline for applications is Sunday 2 February 2025.
Should you have any queries, please email recruitment@australiainstitute.org.au.
What’s On
Climate Integrity Summit 2025 | Wednesday, 12 February, 2025
As the world’s 13th largest economy and the world’s third largest fossil fuel exporter, Australia has a special responsibility to lead the effort in a global transition away from fossil fuels and to help our nation’s trading partners, regional neighbours and those most vulnerable to the climate crisis to respond accordingly.
As ecosystem collapse compounds and exacerbates existing environmental, social and economic issues, it also presents entirely new threats to humanity, making Australia’s leadership, fortitude and genuine collaboration at home and on the international stage more important than ever.
Featuring a range of prominent international and local experts, the 2025 Climate Integrity Summit will show how Australia’s domestic and international integrity influences the international context and how the 2025 federal election outcome will shape global climate action.
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The biggest stories and the best analysis from the team at the Australia Institute, delivered to your inbox every fortnight.