Excellent article.

The planning Nazis are ruining the country. It's time they got to know Centrelink.

Article vacancy:

…This article is a “top down” view of housing development: So much “Ho-Hum” and totally devoid of discussion on the subject most urgent in need of attention, unaffordability of housing and its -“consequences”- on society.

…No doubt Mr Elliott, you have made a personal “killing” on a housing market geared to suit the profits of the banks, through property developers and all segments of the “Industry” that present themselves like a pair of homosexuals, holding hands in the park; the obscene connection; as the priority!

…From where I sit, it’s difficult to disassociate the word “Industry” from “Rort”. On another OLO thread today, the same theme of industry involvement shows the “head of the monster” that “Industry” is, in the field of Education, and aptly named “The Age of Contempt and Absurdity”: “Profits as the priority”, and “rort as the outcome; and the losers…society!

…It is gratifying to have your professional focus on the evils of property development Mr Elliott, but where is the evidence that you and your “string” of professionals in the total housing “Industry”, are in any-way making a dent on the root problem, which is of course “social exclusion” by the overpriced “default” of Australian housing, with all its parts; Government and private enterprise.

…Problem with the Industry approach is, it is the problem: It “begs” for back handers, it lines the pockets of a “select” few and it excludes the obvious imperative of the basic function of housing, i.e. to house people affordably, (which shines through the “sloth” that I believe the housing industry, in ALL its parts has become, leaving Australians with a dwindling ability to house themselves at all!”

…And before the OLO sheep “bleat”, you position yourself for accolades for your apparent gallant attempt to fix the problem, by a proffering a few “off-the-cuff” suggestions on a way forward. But, when Government policy dictates that Australians will conform to a miss-shaped ideological idea of society, popular at the time, and conforming to the Government in power, overpopulation always suits the Economic model, have you noticed?

While I agree with Ross that planners are one of the lowest forms of animal life, being much more expensive to keep than dole bludgers, & some what less use, I have a few problems with his ideas.

Yes we need to keep the fools out of Venice & Copenhagen. These cities built on billiard table flat terrain, is what has probably encouraged their fool idea of people riding bicycles all over our hilly cities. And yes we could do with less "initiatives" from the fools. If they had to pay for all those initiatives, like all those disruptive bikeways, out of their planning department budget, we just might get a more constructive evaluation of the usefulness of the idea in the first place.

But Ross, I am afraid that you should still have to pay every single up front cost involved in a development from your budget, not mine.

I do not want any development smaller than 10 acres in my area. Every where we see closer settlement on the cities fringes, we see an immediate upsurge in break & enters, & other problems in about a 10Km radius. These developments are something I could do without.

However I realise people have [or should have] a right to sell their land, & others do need to build somewhere, & I have no right to stop them. Still, as there is nothing for me in more people coming into my area, except future traffic jams & lower speed limits, I am not prepared to put up one red cent towards the cost of infrastructure for your development. In fact, if you are going to bring in more people to clutter up the roads I have paid for over the last 20 years, I believe you should have to fund major road upgrades into your development area, not merely throughout the development.

Oh, & happy new year.

Yes we need to keep the fools out of Venice & Copenhagen.
Hasbeen,
Where will they go ? To Australia ?
Is Australia heading towards becoming a fools paradise ? All the signs are there.

Housing unafordability is self made. It is normal for people to expect a profit when selling property. What happened to the pioneer spirit, take your woman and find your own patch.
That is no good, they want to live in the city, where things are unafordable, and whinge about it.

Great article. Housing would be very affordable but for the ridiculous amount of regulation and restriction on developing land. The rights of landowners have been diminished greatly.

If you are referring to building regulations, that is there to protect the future buyer, not the owner. Without regs; there would be a shambles, wouldn't there. To go without regs, you could sell the block of land, but not any improvements. Regulations are only a small cost, compared to the developement, of a livable occupancy. Unless you are referring to cutting corners.

<If you are referring to building regulations>

No, I am not, but your comment illustrates how property owners have lost their rights.

Basically a whole lot of scaremongering ensues about the utter catastrophe that would ensue were property owners allowed to build anything which meets health and safety standards. (Of course, there would be no such catastrophe, as is evidenced by the many great cities that were founded without planning departments.) Then the rights are taken from property owners and administered secretly and obscurely by government, naturally for the greater good: Like socialism really, and equally successful in its achievements. i.e. Record housing costs, high rents ruining the competitiveness of retailers, and record corruption for a level of government to name the highlights.

Ros Elliott is a breath of fresh air by advocating a capitalistic/free market approach to planning. Well done.

The unregulated approach did work once, when block sizes were much bigger. These days we have to have standards to guide us, There is no rules against designing your own structure, it just has to comply with the building code. If you want your house not aligned in the frontage as other houses, all you need is your neighbors approval, easy.

<These days we have to have standards to guide us>

I agree that there is great benefit from having health and safety requirements for buildings.

<There is no rules against designing your own structure, it just has to comply with the building code.>

Yes, take a drive through any new suburb and note the conformity. Funny how everyone wants the same thing, isn't it?

<all you need is your neighbors approval>

What business is it of your neighbour what you build if it meets health and safety standards? But what better way for Council to divert attention from their own severe control by arguing that they are satisfying the concerns of residents? Though such concerns go out the window when a rabbit warren development for their mates gets the nod at a secret planning approval meeting.

Control up to a point is beneficial, but beyond that point any benefit erodes: Control over development in Australia has gone way past that point, and is causing structural harm to the economy.

Great article.

This is the problem with current government and planners, they take us tax payers for granted.

It is well known that small business is the largest employer we have, yet, governments today pay little respect to the owners, the risk takers who take risks, which ultimately create the jobs for the employees.

They make changes to IR laws that may well provide working conditions that are the envy of most countries, but they forget that the main purpose of small business is to make money.

The last 9 days has seen 5 public holidays. So business either closes, or pays huge wages, either way, profits are diminished which effects the risk V profit equation, and remember, if the risks get to high, the risk takers just say it's all to hard now.

It can all be solved with a surcharge, illegal in Queensland.

As for suggestions for 2012, may I suggest a change in the way they hand out money in the way of grants.

Instead of the first home buyers grant, how about an interest free loan instead. A loan that must be repaid if and when the home is either sold, or borrowed against.

At lest then, someone else could have the benefit of this tax payer funded gift.

A Butch you should put that in an email and send it to Julia, good idea.
Some people reckon they should be able to do their own power wiring also. It is all set up to protect the person that comes after you. Thats why the regulations. The only way your idea would work is to clear the block if you ever wanted to sell it. The houses that all look alike is they are builders plans. Internet sales are taking off, and cheaper. We have had a butcher on the phone for years. You order two weeks in advance and then gets delivered.

Internet sales are taking off, and cheaper. We have had a butcher on the phone for years. You order two weeks in advance and then gets delivered.

Yes 579, and it's just the beginning of the end for many small retailers, plus their workers.

2012 is goimg to be a very tough year for many small businesses. Unfortunately many will fail, jobs will be lost, just wait and see.