Time to Fix The Real Issues - Stop Government Handouts for Housing

This is an article printed very much for Melbourne and Sydney readers.

There is in fact no real affordability problem in Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide for that matter. This perpetual drive to have the government creating more handouts is the wrong approach simply because it is putting a band aid on the wound. The real issue is how do we stop the wound from occurring in the first place. If government was serious about addressing affordability, it has to attack the problem on multiple fronts. The first is by addressing the issue of youth unemployment and underemployment. The growth in part time jobs will not service debt, it really is that simple. Most of the regions across Australia have some of the most affordable housing there is combined with lifestyles that are often superior to the cities. Economic development strategies need to be created that work with Local and State governments in creating long term sustainable employment conditions. The cyclical nature of mining booms etc are fantastic when they are in full swing, however the aftermath often leaves these regional centres reeling for years to come, albeit with generally far better infrastructure than before the cycle. This is where the government needs to stimulate growth to take advantage of those improvements

Connectivity is critical to this growth and unfortunately, the experience by many living in capital cities, let alone regional centres have found the broadband service to be lacking. These basic fundamentals need to be addressed to allow business to grow, actually they need to be addressed so councils can attract new business.

Let's stop asking the government for more money to stimulate first home buyers into the marketplace and create the conditions that actually provide opportunity for all buyers. That may mean that councils need to release more land and get on board with projects such as North Lakes, Springfield Lakes, Harrington Grove, Merrifield etc that provide employment around and within those master planned communities. Not everyone works in a CBD, not everyone wants to live in higher density. The urban form needs balance, the younger generations need opportunity and the Government needs to stop with the handouts and actually solve the real, underlying problems. When that happens, headlines like those below will not form part of the conversation around when you were born and how you will never own a home.