Hal Pawson

1 week ago | johnmenadue.com | Hal Pawson

If I were housing minister in the next Parliament, and if I could secure the PM’s backing to squarely face up to the overdue need for fundamental housing reform, I would have a busy schedule ahead. That schedule would necessitate some hard choices and electoral risks that are exceptionally hard for governments to entertain in today’s political and media environment.

2 weeks ago | johnmenadue.com | Hal Pawson

Yet again, as a federal election approaches, we look set for a national debate in which competing housing policy offers will take centre stage. The Greens began to unveil their pitch back in 2024 and the Coalition has now started to follow suit . But while Labor’s 2025 election housing package remains under wraps, it’s timely to take stock of the Albanese Government’s housing record during the current Parliamentary term. How much of the 2022 platform has been delivered and to what effect?

3 weeks ago | johnmenadue.com | Hal Pawson

Very largely thanks to economic stimulus pumped into the economy to ward off COVID recession, Australias housing is now 30% more expensive than in 2019. Add to that, the recent spike in rent inflation greater than at any time since 2008, and its obvious that the pandemic has exacerbated this countrys longstanding housing affordability challenge.

3 weeks ago | johnmenadue.com | Hal Pawson

After more than six months of Parliamentary wrangling, the ALPs flagship housing future fund bill finally cleared the Senate last week. For Australias neglected social housing sector, this presages a welcome revival of federally-supported capital investment, absent for most of the past quarter century. But, in a longer-term perspective, the resulting program will be significant only if it forms an initial downpayment on a much larger and broader housing reform and investment program.

3 weeks ago | johnmenadue.com | Hal Pawson

Housing is yet again up there as a major concern in this years federal election debate. Given the rising cost of putting a roof over your head in todays Australia, thats hardly surprising. Buying a home will now set you back 30% more than at the start of the Morrison governments current term in office. Meanwhile, rent increases have escalated to their highest levels for more than a decade.