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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.

More tax is not reform, Carling and Tulip tell Senate inquiry
Michael StutchburyFebruary 27, 2026
After trying to tax unrealised gains in superannuation balances, the Albanese government's new tax kite...
Robert Carling’s CGT inquiry evidence covered in The Australian
February 27, 2026

Treasury examining new rules limiting negative gearing to two investment properties — The Australian The...

CIS Statement to Senate inquiry on Capital Gains Tax discount
Robert CarlingFebruary 26, 2026

Opening statement to Senate Select Committee on the operation of the Capital Gains Tax Discount...

New CIS paper: rewrite heritage laws that are worsening the housing crisis
February 26, 2026
Australia’s heritage legislation is entrenching the housing crisis by protecting hundreds of thousands of low-value...
Coverage of Peter Tulip’s paper on heritage laws, Robert Carling on CGT, and more
February 26, 2026

Australian Land Locked by Heritage Law Amplifies Housing Crisis — Bloomberg Australia’s heritage laws are...

Reform of Heritage Legislation
Peter TulipFebruary 26, 2026PP62

Introduction Several states have recently overhauled their planning legislation. However, the flaws in their heritage...

Less Crowded Houses. NZ’s housing policy success and implications for Australia
Stuart DonovanFebruary 11, 2025PP60

Introduction Many Australians are increasingly concerned by deteriorating housing affordability and its implications for socio-economic...

Land Use Restrictions and the Australian Housing Policy Debate
Peter TulipOctober 15, 2024FABIAN SOCIETY
Planning restrictions are a major reason why housing in Australia is so expensive. For example,...
Housing Affordability and Supply Restrictions
Peter TulipFebruary 8, 2024PP55
This paper describes the evidence of large effects of planning restrictions on housing affordability. This...
Housing is becoming a pipe dream for young Australians
Emilie DyeFebruary 6, 2024IA149
Housing affordability remains one of Australia’s clearest — and most frequently cited — examples of...
Housing Targets
Where should we build new housing? Better targets for local councils
Peter TulipMarch 9, 2023AP45
We are not building enough apartments and we are building them in the wrong place....
Does high-rise development damage neighbourhood character?
Peter Tulip, Zachary LaniganApril 29, 2021PP40

Local residents often oppose new high-rise development apartment buildings on the grounds that they would...

Housing negative gearing tax
Reducing the discount would likely not have any lasting impact in lowering house prices
Robert Carling, Michael StutchburyMarch 21, 2026CANBERRA TIMES

Anyone watching the smoke signals from Canberra knows that moves are afoot to try and...

Alarm bells ringing on more interest rate pain
Michael StutchburyMarch 18, 2026DAILY TELEGRAPH
Australians were losing faith that the combination of Labor’s economic policies and the RBA monetary...
Labor’s capital gains tax myths need busting
Robert CarlingMarch 11, 2026DAILY TELEGRAPH

Labor has long held an axe over the capital gains tax 50% discount and negative...

Measuring affordability in time, not dollars paints a different inflation picture
Marian L. TupyMarch 9, 2026CANBERRA TIMES

Even before new Middle East conflict sparked concern about petrol prices, Australia’s latest CPI release...

This Millennial moved to regional Australia to own a home
Trisha JhaMarch 2, 2026AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW

A brief glance at the past fortnight’s headlines is revealing. High-speed rail is connecting Sydney...

Australia’s housing push is bipartisan
Peter TulipSeptember 17, 2025SPECTATOR FLAT WHITE
The Liberal party has two traditions, conservatism and support for free markets. Normally, those movements...
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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