They're Coming… But Where Will They Live? Australia's Housing Time Bomb

Imagine inviting thousands of people to a party… but forgetting to organise enough food, chairs, or bathrooms.

That's essentially what Australia is doing by ramping up migration while failing to plan for the housing and infrastructure to support it.

The conversation around our housing crisis is often framed around interest rates, investors, or planning delays.

But there's a critical dimension we keep avoiding: Australia's housing and migration policies are completely out of sync, and this is causing systemic damage.

In today's show we explain how the federal government controls migration and the states manage housing — and this is creating a perfect storm of housing unaffordability, rental stress, and infrastructure bottlenecks.

Takeaways

· Housing and immigration policies must be aligned for effective planning.

· Australia's migration intake has surged, impacting housing demand.

· Government policies contribute significantly to housing unaffordability.

· Local governments often block new housing developments due to community pushback.

· The current housing crisis is a result of decades of neglect in planning.

· Reforming property taxes could alleviate housing affordability issues.

· Infrastructure planning is crucial to support population growth.

· Lessons from other countries can inform Australia's housing strategy.

· The political landscape complicates major housing reforms.

· A comprehensive approach is needed to address the housing crisis.

Chapters

00:10 Introduction to Housing and Migration Policies

06:11 The Role of Property Developers

14:04 Housing Needs of New Migrants

18:50 Redesigning Housing and Migration Policies

23:20 Lessons from Other Countries

27:24 The Future of Housing and Migration in Australia

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About Simon Kuestenmacher

Simon Kuestenmacher is co-founder and Director – The Demographics Group

Simon is a prolific media commentator on demographic and data matters and a columnist for The New Daily and The Australian newspapers.

He ranks as one of the world's Top 10 influencers in data visualisation. If you can't get enough of the kind of data that explains how the world works, make sure to follow Simon on Linked In or X (formerly Twitter) or any of his other social channels

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About Michael Yardney

Michael Yardney- founder Metropole Property Strategists has been voted one of Australia's 50 most influential Thought Leaders.

While he is best known as a property expert, Michael is also Australia's leading expert in the psychology of success and wealth creation.

Michael is a #1 best selling author of 9 books and frequently challenges traditional finance advice with innovative ideas on property investment, personal finance and wealth creation.

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