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• Housing

Australia has some of the most expensive housing in the world.  Rising rents and prices are putting reasonable housing out of reach of large sections of Australian society.  The CIS is exploring ways to make housing more affordable, in particular by relaxing planning restrictions.

The political winners and losers of 2023
Simon CowanDecember 30, 2023CANBERRA TIMES

The political winners and losers of 2023 Once again it is the time of year...

Central statIon sydney
How heritage protection is cutting down housing development
Simon Cowan, Peter TulipDecember 2, 2023CANBERRA TIMES

How heritage protection is cutting down housing development. More and more people are realising the...

Why we should welcome migrant workers
Simon CowanSeptember 23, 2023CANBERRA TIMES

For a nation with such a high percentage of migrants, Australia’s relationship with migration remains...

The Rental Crisis. Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Committee
Peter TulipAugust 31, 2023

Rents are too high. This leads to homelessness, rental stress, long commutes, overcrowding, and a...

Rental and Housing Affordability with Peter Tulip
Peter Tulip, Karla PincottAugust 30, 2023Liberalism in Question

Rental and Housing Affordability with Peter Tulip: We need to relax zoning restrictions to allow...

A million extra homes won’t fix housing affordability!
Maya KuranaJuly 23, 2023
The budget's announcement of one million houses over the next five years will do very...
Planning restrictions harm housing affordability
Peter TulipDecember 3, 2020PP33

Planning restrictions reduce the supply of housing and hence raise its price. This paper summarises...

AP14
RATIONALISING REGULATION: Helping the economy recover from the corona crisis
Gene Tunny, Ben ScottSeptember 23, 2020AP14

Australia’s anachronistic, inconsistent, and excessive regulatory landscape is an area of immense potential for growth-enhancing...

Reforming Social Housing: financing and tenant autonomy
Michael PotterApril 27, 2017RR25

Around 400,000 Australians live in social housing, which includes public and community housing. This sector...

The Age Old Problem of Old Age: Fixing the Pension
Simon Cowan, Matthew TaylorMay 3, 2015

In this TARGET 30 Research Report CIS modelling shows that reforming the pension could deliver...

Eight Housing Affordability Myths
Stephen KirchnerJuly 10, 2014IA146

Australians are conflicted in their attitude to this long-run change in real house prices because...

Private Housing on Indigenous Lands
Helen Hughes, Mark Hughes, Sara HudsonNovember 17, 2010PM113

Almost 20% of Australia and almost 50% of the Northern Territory are Indigenous lands. Yet...

Government-sponsored bank for social housing not a solution
Michael PotterMay 2, 2017Catallaxy Files

Public housing and community housing, collectively called social housing, has numerous problems including un-maintained housing,...

A government-sponsored bank won’t help social housing
Michael PotterApril 28, 2017Ideas@TheCentre

Just over 400,000 Australian households live in social housing, comprised mainly of public and community...

Why we can’t be sure if we’re in a housing price bubble
Michael PotterJanuary 11, 2017Business Insider

House prices are out of control in some Australian capitals. And now comes a proposal...

Empty homes tax — another useless Canadian import?
Michael PotterDecember 9, 2016Ideas@TheCentre

The latest idea to fix high housing costs is a tax on empty homes, which...

How to play the man not the ball: negative gearing edition
Michael PotterMay 27, 2016Ideas@TheCentre

Negative gearing has yet again been splashed in the media this week. On Tuesday, a...

Negative gearing debate off track
Michael PotterMay 11, 2016The Australian

The Reserve Bank is a cautious organisation and averse to fuelling speculation. So it is...

Old buildings and the housing crisis with Peter Tulip
Peter TulipMarch 4, 2026

Peter Tulip explains how several states have recently overhauled their planning legislation. However, the flaws...

‘NIMBYism is a cancer’: Bragg outlines housing policy vision with Peter Tulip & Michael Stutchbury
Andrew Bragg, Peter Tulip, Michael StutchburyDecember 12, 2025

Senator Andrew Bragg and economist Peter Tulip join Michael Stutchbury for a wide-ranging conversation on...

The simple solution to FIX the housing crisis | Emilie Dye
Emilie Dye, Randall EvansSeptember 18, 2024

What is behind the housing crisis in Australia and across the world? Research Analyst Emilie...

How to tackle Australia’s housing crisis one state at a time | NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey
Simon CowanAugust 29, 2024

Sydney is home to some of the least affordable housing in the world, placing immense...

A million extra homes won’t fix housing affordability!
Maya KuranaJuly 23, 2023
The budget's announcement of one million houses over the next five years will do very...
On Liberty EP96 Is the property bubble bursting?
Eliza Owen, Salvatore BabonesAugust 3, 2022On Liberty
Salvatore Babones returns to discuss the future of housing and rental prices with Eliza Owen...
Submission to Heritage NSW
Peter TulipJuly 18, 2025CIS

This submission argues that NSW’s heritage legislation has serious flaws. In particular, costs of listing...

Submission to Victorian Legislative Council Select Committee Inquiry
Peter TulipMay 5, 2025CIS

Victoria Planning Provisions Amendments VC257, VC267 and VC274: Submission to Victorian Legislative Council Select Committee...

Submission to the Inquiry into financial regulation and home ownership
Peter TulipOctober 15, 2024
Regulation of the financial system is needed to protect depositors and avoid financial crises. However,...
Submission to the Inquiry into the Transport Oriented Development Program
Peter TulipApril 4, 2024
Housing policy in NSW has been failing. It has relied on setting targets for local...
Submission to the Senate Economics References Committee Inquiry into improving consumer experiences, choice, and outcomes in Australia’s retirement system.
Peter TulipFebruary 12, 2024
Allowing first home buyers to borrow from their superannuation would transform superannuation from an obstacle...
The Rental Crisis. Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Committee
Peter TulipAugust 31, 2023

Rents are too high. This leads to homelessness, rental stress, long commutes, overcrowding, and a...

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