The horse that is the housing crisis has so long ago bolted, it died in the long-yard years ago.
What will happen in the future, is exactly what is happening now to rectify the inequality that comes under the heading of housing all Australians: it will remain a them and us.

There has been an endless amount of time to rectify the problem it has become, but unfortunately the wrong people are in charge of the hell it is to too many, mostly young families with children.

The future of young families and how to house them, should not be handed over to the vagaries of real estate agents, with plunderous intentions.

There is very little-to-none protections for this group of losers.
So, what can be expected as a solution, is more of the same from disinterested Governments of all flavours.

If Governments really want to help this homeless sector, the help urgently needed is attention to mandating long term leases, and a close second, is to fund rent tribunals meaningfully.
Thieving of bond deposits by landlords, is epidemic; and it's the renting class that can least afford to lose often, thousands in lost or stolen bonds.

Well may the comically implied Black Pepper say The Coalition "is terrified of taking serious steps to tackle housing affordability…"

Labor's past performance in power is no different. Labor would not want to quickly lose office, through alienating the Mums and Dads landlords-homeowners-homebuyers.

Negative gearing is an untouchable sacred cow for both sides of politics.

Cheap money for nearly two decades as well as more double income property buying families (due to taxpayer funded child-care) has lead to prices where they are. House prices have risen to what households can afford to vie for. Variations between capital cities is driven by supply and demand, as well as future perceptions of this.

NG has been around since 1920's and nothing much happened on property prices before CGT was introduced in 1985, so to blame NG and CGT concessions for price rises seems a tad silly. Taxing CG's without indexation of the cost base will drive down investment in housing (etc) and lead to higher rents. Removing NG will disincentivize investments by M&D investors while the wealthy will form company structures to carry losses forward.

But why let facts get in the way of a good class warfare story? Confected garbage like this wins elections, I guess. Another is renewables will bring down power prices. Ho hum.

Never let facts get in the way of the truth, its funny how the author blames the coalition for housing affordability, does he conveniently forget RUDD/GILLARD/RUDD years?

Anyway, in 1980 15% of new home loans were first home buyers, in 2018 it is still 15%, which means housing affordability has not changed, it is still hard to get your first home.

If we let low income people buy houses we will end up like the US with their subprime mess and thousands losing their homes.

Why is owning your own home so important, the majority of US, Europe and Japan citizens rent all their lives?

It is a political football talking about housing affordability, yet the state governments wont release land, still charge land tax and other fees/levies.

Yes, houses are expensive, but our unemployment is low too, its simple supply and demand, if unemployment rises, house prices fall, if unemployment decreases, house prices increase

The only way to lever the cold dead hand of the fossil fuel industry off of our energy supply is by quite deliberately advantaged and assisted, cooperative capitalism. Introduce real competition, cooperative capitalism, nuclear power and the lowest power prices in the world.

And crucial, given nothing moves or is made or processed or transported without energy input! Be it the family wagon perishables, durables or a home! After we've made energy and everything that flows from it or relies on it, affordable once more?

The very next cap off the rank is rapid rail and the decentralisation that would usher in along with new centres of industrial growth and lower costing housing. Finally, someone with a still functioning brain needs to realise our tax system is rooted and needs jettisoning and replacing with one that is not only less costly more equitable but actually collets much-much more revenue.

And as it does just that lifts the burden from those still paying our total tax and spreads around onto those leaners who aren't, Some of who have so arranged their personal circumstances to limit their personal liability to just 15 cents in the dollar while the lowest tax paid by lower income earners remains 19 cents in the dollar.

An unavoidable fifteen per cent flat tax every boy and his dog paid, would level the playing field and quite massively enhance real economic growth and development!

And because all reconciliation would be factored completely out! Allow the 7% formerly earmarked for tax compliance costs to be returned to the bottom line. And in effect, produce a tax rate in real terms of just 8%!

Now if someone with a still functioning cerebral cortex, in the coalition would embrace these reforms, they might yet turn a massive landslide defeat into their greatest ever victory.

But before that can happen we need truth in donations and or an upper allowed limit that comes without any discernable strings or expectations or control. Otherwise, the very best advice will do as it has always done, fall on deaf ears!
Alan B.

High home ownership in Australia is a thing of the past; it was always an aberration anyway.