Episode 11 - Agents in the Firing Line, with Mike Mortlock | 24th July 2026

Episode 11 asks whether governments are addressing Australia's housing failures or redirecting public anger towards real estate agents. Kasey McDonald and Peter Schravemade begin with Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan's open letter to REIV CEO Toby Balazs and the dispute over compulsory reserve-price disclosure. They examine the REIV's alternative transparency model, Consumer Affairs Victoria's existing enforcement powers, the political timing of the intervention and the hostile online reaction that followed Peter's public response. The conversation then moves to New South Wales, where REINSW has taken the extraordinary step of asking Premier Chris Minns to remove Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong, alleging that meaningful industry consultation has broken down. Mike Mortlock joins the program as Managing Director of MCG Quantity Surveyors, Treasurer of the Property Investment Professionals of Australia and host of the Geared for Growth podcast, which has been running since 2017 and has published more than 300 episodes. Mike discusses the 1.2 million-home target, Treasury's rent modelling, negative-gearing and capital-gains-tax reform, investor confidence, construction costs, SMSF borrowing changes and the conversations property managers should now be having with rental providers. The episode closes with Queensland's tougher social-housing behaviour policy, an allegation that a real estate employee disclosed a client's highly sensitive location and transaction details, and a direct warning about governments using the profession as a pre-election scapegoat. The final message is simple: agents did not create the housing shortage, and turning them into campaign villains will not solve it. Views expressed are those of the speakers. This episode contains general discussion only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. The privacy story is presented as an allegation and has not been independently verified in full.