Fixing Australia's housing crisis — is increasing supply really a silver bullet?

from Big Ideas · host Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Build more houses. That'll fix Australia's housing crisis won't it? If you listen to governments, you'd sure think so. Under the National Housing Accord, all governments have agreed to support a target of building 1.2 million new, well-located dwellings in 5 years. But will that increase housing affordability, availability, quality, security of tenure, and the growing gap between the haves and have-nots? What's missing from this picture?Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell at the 2025 National Housing Conference with guests debating the rhetoric, reality and policies around housing supply.This event was organised by the Australian Housing and Urban Institute (AHURI), hosts of the National Housing Conference.SpeakersDavid ReynondsChief Executive, Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentGovernment of South AustraliaProfessor Rachel Ong ViforjLeading housing policy researcher and advisorJohn Curtin Distinguished Professor of EconomicsCurtin UniversityDr Tim WilliamsGlobal Practice Leader, CitiesFormer advisor to five consecutive UK housing ministersFormer CEO, Committee of SydneyArchitecture firm GrimshawHost, The Grimshaw podcast Further informationProductivity Commission report on housing construction productivity (2025)The Economics of Housing Supply: key concepts and issues (August 2024)The State of the Housing System 2025: National Housing Supply and Affordability Council's second annual report.Housing policy reporting by ABC NewsHousing research reports and analysis by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI)Housing analysis by the Grattan Institute

What this episode covers

Build more houses. That'll fix Australia's housing crisis won't it? If you listen to governments, you'd sure think so. Under the National Housing Accord, all governments have agreed to support a target of building 1.2 million new, well-located dwellings in 5 years. But will that increase housing affordability, availability, quality, security of tenure, and the growing gap between the haves and have-nots? What's missing from this picture? Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell at the 2025 National Housing Conference with guests debating the rhetoric, reality and policies around housing supply. This event was organised by the Australian Housing and Urban Institute (AHURI), hosts of the National Housing Conference. Speakers David Reynonds Chief Executive, Department of Housing and Urban Development Government of South Australia Professor Rachel Ong Viforj Leading housing policy researcher and advisor John Curtin Distinguished Professor of Economics Curtin University Dr Tim Williams Global Practice Leader, Cities Former advisor to five consecutive UK housing ministers Former CEO, Committee of Sydney Architecture firm Grimshaw Host, The Grimshaw podcast Further information Productivity Commission report on housing construction productivity (2025) The Economics of Housing Supply: key concepts and issues (August 2024) The State of the Housing System 2025: National Housing Supply and Affordability Council's second annual report. Housing policy reporting by ABC News Housing research reports and analysis by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) Housing analysis by the Grattan Institute