During the Albanese government’s first term, one of the main policy focuses was on public housing. Throughout much of the second half of the government’s first term, various public housing-related policies were major bones of contention, most notably the Housing Australia Future Fund or HAFF. The HAFF provided the Albanese government with a striking headline
Risk markets are buying the rumour, selling the fact with stocks and undollars soaring higher while oil and the USD is slammed lower on the possibility of a “ceasefire” in the Middle East. Lost among this turmoil are the big deals happening in Europe between the EU, Canada and Greenland as the pivot away from
Major LNG exporters Qatar and the United Arab Emirates rely on passage through the Strait of Hormuz to supply Asian markets. However, Iran has threatened to block the strait, prompting concerns about a possible spike in LNG prices, along with supply worries. However, Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King has sought to assure domestic gas users
The federal government has been advised by eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant to scrap YouTube’s exemption from laws banning people under the age of 16 from using social media, which are scheduled to take effect in December. Former communications minister Michele Rowland had cited YouTube’s educational content as one of the justifications for exempting it
Net overseas migration is undoubtedly the most significant driver of housing demand in Australia. Australia’s population grew by 445,900 in 2024 (equivalent to a Canberra), driven by net overseas migration of 340,600. Net overseas migration remained above the pre-pandemic peak of 315,700 in Q4 2008, accounting for 76% of total population growth. Another overlooked factor
S&P with the report. Flash Australia PMI Composite Output Index(1): 51.2 (May: 50.5). 3-month high. Flash Australia Services PMI Business Activity Index(2): 51.3 (May: 50.6). 3-month high. Flash Australia Manufacturing Output Index(3): 50.4 (May: 49.8). 2-month high. Flash Australia Manufacturing PMI (4): 51.0 (May: 51.0). Growth in new work was notably driven by domestic clients
Policymakers want Australians to live in shoebox apartments to alleviate the structural undersupply of housing in our major cities and accommodate endless population growth. Their mandate contradicts the views of Australians, who prefer to live in detached homes. In May, the average price premium for a detached property in Australia’s major cities was 174%, according
In the debate surrounding the so-called “Mortgage Cliff” and the impact of inflation and higher interest rates on households, the possibility of a strong rise in mortgage arrears has been written off in many quarters. Yet with the release of the latest Residential Mortgage Backed Security (RMBS) data from ratings agency Fitch, that is exactly
In a recent speech to the Queensland Parliament, Mermaid Beach Liberal Party MP Ray Stevens called for the return of vagrancy laws in order to prosecute the “presumably homeless people” increasingly cropping up in his electorate in “some of the most sought after locations anyone could wish for—absolute beachfront”. In a vacuum, one can empathise
Victoria’s economy has become a national disaster. The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) annual state accounts for 2023-24 revealed that Victoria’s per capita GDP fell by 1.2% annually and has only increased by 10.4% since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2008. Victoria’s growth compares poorly against the 1.0% national decline in per capita GDP in