Australia was built on the idea of space, family, and home ownership and we’re quickly giving that away.

Those who say “They'll just have to live in apartments like the rest of the world ” are usually people who already own multiple houses or investment properties.

There’s a clear incentive for those at the top to keep prices high:

• Investors benefit from lower supply which results in higher rent & capital growth.
• Banks love higher prices as it = bigger mortgages = more interest = more profit. Australian banks are some of the most profitable in the world.
• Politicians use property inflation to maintain the illusion of economic growth driven . Real GDP per capita has fallen in almost every quarter since early 2023 meaning the economy is growing on paper, but the average person is worse off.

I’ve seen many people argue that high immigration isn't the root cause of Australia’s housing crisis. But it seems pretty clear that it has massively increased demand, while supply hasn't been able to keep up.

Period	Avg. net overseas migration / yr (ABS est.)	Avg. new dwellings built / yr (ABS)	Median house price ÷ median full-time income
2005 → 2010	~140-180 k / yr	~150-165 k / yr	~6.3 ×
2010 → 2015	~200- 250 k / yr	~175-190 k / yr	~7.7 ×
2015 → 2020	~220- 275 k / yr	~190 - 210 k / yr	~8.4 ×
2020 → 2025	~350-400 k / yr	~160–175 k homes / yr (FY 2023-24 = 158,732)	~10.9 ×

* Net Overseas Migration = arrivals − departures.
\† Dwelling numbers = ABS building commencements (all dwelling types).
\‡ House-price multiple = median national price ÷ median full-time salary.

In short:

• Demand - Total migration has increased ~ 100 % since 2005.
• Supply - Annual home building ~ slow consistent growth until 2020.

Immigration Volume

The issue isn’t immigrants, its volume - using mass migration as a "growth" lever while failing to build the housing and infrastructure to support it.

It’s the lowest-income Australians who feel the real squeeze. They’re the ones competing directly with new arrivals for entry-level jobs, affordable rentals, and first-home opportunities.

Meanwhile, big corporations love a more competitive labour market and investors who hold multiple properties feel only the upside of increasing rent & house prices.

Long-term Consequences

The people at the top should ask themselves what kind of country they want their grandkids to live in. Would they be happy if their kids or grandkids spent their lives renting a 2×1 apartment, never owning land or having a back yard to play in?

Intergenerational wealth in housing doesn’t last forever, usually within three generations it dissipates. Affordable housing is one of the greatest gifts we can give to our descendants.

TLDR:

I’m a first-generation Australian. I own one home, and I don’t want its value to skyrocket if it comes at the cost of our country’s quality of life or culture.