ACHR in the Media: The Housing Affordability Jigsaw

Centre Director Emma Baker was featured on the 7.30 Report on Monday night as part of Alan Kohler's special investigation into housing affordability in Australia. House prices have increased by more than 20 per cent over the past year - one of the fastest rises in the nation's history. Yet, as Emma explains, "we have no plan for housing in Australia". Discussing the recent Parliamentary Inquiry into Housing Affordability, Emma reflects "there's been so many inquiries into housing affordability in my research career, and they've never really come up with very much. And I think it's time for a national conversation about the type of housing system that we actually want." There is no one answer to housing affordability; it's a complicated issue that requires us to rethink what we want Australia's housing system to look like and how we can best deliver solutions across all areas of housing, including the rental sector. Emma's takeaway? "We don't deal with housing as a system. We respond in piecemeal ways". And moving forward, piecemeal just won't cut it.

Watch the broadcast or read the transcription of the story here, and read the accompanying article here.