Alan B,
I agree with your above posts. One of the ideas I'd like to add is that no-one who hasn't served in a National Service should be entitled to a position in the public Service.
Of course, exemptions could arise in cases of disability etc.
But in general we really, really need a National Service to cultivate more competent & responsible citizens.
One just has to look at our society since that great big Goaf traded responsibility for votes in 1972. Surely that's more than enough proof that such a NS is desperately needed.

The author is a town planner. Her Institute wants Australia to have a population of 50 million, but it also wants to blame the supply side of housing.

We have a word for this in our language - hypocrisy.

Why not have Govt. run Home Lotteries ? Instead of one 10 million Dollar home as one first prize, have three prizes with normal homes. Three houses per month times twelve months provides quite a few families with a home AND creates jobs !

Good point Steve S.

Ayn Rand said that communist 'looters' and social democrat 'moochers' destroyed productive businesses and their job creating capacity concurrently saying "we have to help the poor". Their words don't match their actions.

If housing continues to be treated as a commodity not a social right, poverty in Australia will dramatically increase, irrespective of political colouring of incumbent Government.

Increasing immigration aggravates this social condition.
Building granny flats for rent in back yards, building more poor quality ill conceived positioning social housing in isolated areas away from transport and jobs, aggravates not helps those most vulnerable to the bad effects of inappropriate or non existent housing supply.

What is needed is a revolution in thinking, strong Government directives that step outside of the neoliberal mind set and personal interest of politicians most able to help the situation out of its bind and current negative consequences.

Housing treated as a commodity is the sole problem which needs urgent action to resolve.

Dan