Housing

An Australia-wide long weekend kicks off tomorrow, and between the Perth Rugby Sevens tournament and Australia Day festivities I’m not going to have all that much time for the usual reading and writing. So the next time you’ll hear from me will probably be in the form of a Hot Take on the all-important December quarter inflation figures (Wednesday).

I trust everyone had a lovely weekend, or for those just getting back into the office, a wonderful summer break!

I trust everyone’s nice and refreshed from the summer break! Lots of interesting things to discuss today, starting with some positive-sounding housing policy news from NSW.

How not to do energy policy; the problems with acknowledgements to country; your ID or your facial data; the costs of land use zoning; and the war in Ukraine may not last much longer.

No quotas on international students (good riddance); how people think of money could cost Albanese at the next election; at least Australia's housing market still functions like a market; why Europe stagnates; the not-so Future Fund, trade thoughts, Elon Musk's incentives, and the future of war.

A closer look at Dutton's housing policy; the magic of quantitative easing; Canada might soon be shrinking; the global demographic decline; AI snake oil is spreading; and what do voters care about.

The recent Nobel Prize in Economics sheds light on Australia's biggest challenges and offers insights into whether they can be truly solved.

Australia's housing crisis won't be solved by federal policies alone, and demand-side measures from both major parties risk pushing prices even higher, while critical supply-side barriers—like restrictive zoning laws and regulations—remain largely unaddressed.

The Labor government's potential deal with the Greens to eliminate negative gearing and reduce the capital gains tax discount may ultimately be more symbolic than effective in tackling Australia's housing affordability crisis.

As Britain grapples with institutional decay and economic stagnation, Australia must learn from its mistakes—especially in housing, infrastructure, and energy—before we face the same fate.