If we are to accept the Housing Industry and Kevin Rudd`s premise that rapidly inflating house prices are caused by an imbalance of
the availability of houses across the country, and that when the balance is restored, due to the increase in the bulding of homes, commensurate with the increasing population demands, then we would have to be insane to continue to accept a continuing influx of overseas migrants, "asylum seekers" and foreign investors, all of whom are ultimately creating an artificial demand for more expensive housing.

In this context, it is imperative that the housing demand be sated by closing the doors to the access of these financial opportunists, whose actions are depriving "real" Australians of fair-priced accomodation.

If these issues are NOT addressed immediately, we are going to see house prices attain levels of astronomical proportions, placing future home ownership way out of the reach of the average family, whilst witnessing our marketplace dominated by overseas buyers with cash-laden investors snapping up the majority of decent homes and ultimately leaving an increasing number of "real" Aussies with nowhere really affordable to live.

This is the legacy of a Labor Government, who it appears is intent on committing a large slice of the Aussie population to a lifetime of increasing debt and misery, totally contrary to the stated concepts and policies of the original Labor movement of old.

Kevin Rudd has indicated quite clearly that he is prepared to simply ignore the protests and indignation of the community, who are wanting a speedy solution to this crisis of "Asylum Seekers" and "compromised border security", forcing the community to accept this influx of political and financial opportunists, as neccesary for the futire stabilization of the nation as a whole.

This concept is total rubbish, and if Kevin Rudd does NOT have the intestinal fortitude to stand up and protect his own country and its citizens from this "foreign invasion", he is guilty of profligacy and should call an early election with this being the major issue at stake.

No man is an island, and no man is a god!

Crack up/ cup handle mate lately your posts are not of the quality they once had been.
In fact you should re read the last few, little support came your way.
House prices concern me too, our price bubble is yet to come, it surely will.
I often note conservatives want both socialism and capitalism, self interest stuff.
Those who pay very large prices ,not always for very large houses play Russian Roulette, some will fail .
But the set the prices not federal government.
If NSW opened up without delay every subdivision and building development plan, let work begin, housing shortages may be less but prices?
Current home owners may rebel at government intervention to cut prices, market forces will in time intervene however.

CU> Although I agree with much of what you say, the fact is that most Australians could afford to buy their own house, it's just that they make 'lifestyle choices' that make this 'once reality' a dream.

If they expect to leave school, get a well paid job and buy a house, all within a year or two, then it is they who are the dream.

However, if they were to SAVE say 50% of their wages, for five or so years, say $65,000 and, combine this with the savings of their partners and, combine these savings with the first home owners grant, then, they would be in a great position to buy a house.

Meanwhile, investors just keep investing, knowing the following generations will not commit, so rents will continue to rise.

Mobile phones, internet and booz up's, along with 'buy now-pay later' deals, see to it that housing affordabillity will remain a dream for many.

When I bought my first house, back in 82, I needed a 30% deposit, otherwise the banks would not even speak to me about a loan.

Funny enough, 30% can still be achieved if one saves rather than wastes their money.

Also, I have watched many complain about not wanting to go in to debt for a house, meanwhile, the houses just keep going up.

It's called 'commitment' and many just won't go there. They live to day for today and don't plan for tomorrow.

Bit of a pandora's box this issue. There is an underlying problem with housing and the need for the building industry to continue to prosper at the current pace. Growth has become more important to the economy than the people that live off it. should we put downward pressure on house prices it would cause a crisis in the construction industry. lost jobs smaller profits. The whole economy is geared the same this is why we hear about the big Australia. We must continue to grow or the economy will stagnate and a recession will follow. no government will agree to that nor will the public with their ever increasing hunger to consume. We need to remember that quality of life and living standards are two different things. As our standard of living has increased since the 80's our quality of life has fallen. health, education, crime, depression, social unrest, fear the list goes on. It would seem we are obsessed with the best of everything rather than the best of life. We could all do fine with a lesser house, smaller wage, minimise the processed foods and embrace a simpler life style. next holiday go camping at the national park, not at the Big4 and three theme park pass. you might even talk to each other.

It's a bit much to lay the reason for inflating house prices soley at the feet of Rudd when it was the previous encumbents that were so eager to make political capital out of that very thing.

They deliberately misrepresented increasing Real Estate values as being an indicator of increased social wealth and then stood by silently as people used the inflated value of that asset as a basis for even more debt while interest rates were artificially low.

"Keep on borrowing - we'll protect you from the rest of the world as long as you keep voting for us."

That's when the rising personal debt situation started, not 2 years ago.

In any case, people never historically had any "right" to home ownership, just as not everyone is automatically entitled to buy investment properties or yachts.

Sure you can aspire to it but it's a matter of opportunity, circumstance and that other thing called "the market".

There has always been a high demand for Public Housing.

Foreign investment was also sold as a big plus except now the amount of dividends leaving the country as a percentage of GDP is greater than the interest we would have been paying on the original Keating debt and all our public assets (along with most of our gold) are gone for good.

Those political decisions made a decade ago have likely destined us to become the "poor white trash of the Pacific" once the coal runs out, while other Governments such as Ireland and India took the path of investing in education and technology.

Suggesting that refugees are some sort of invasion is a bit of an exaggeration.

The state and federal governments have gone stark raving mad.
The state government is forcing the local council of Hornsby to rezone
for high rise.
The plan now is for two large blocks presently with two and three
story unit blocks to be replaced with 20 story blocks !
The state government is legislating to force home owners to sell their
houses to the government so that they can be onsold to developers.

The state is going to rezone farm areas that supply Sydney with food
for housing. What the bl**dy hell do they think we are going to eat ?
Chinese imported food ?
It is already in the supermarkets and I refuse to buy it !

Nairbe said;
Growth has become more important to the economy than the people that live off it.
unquote
This is where both governments fail in their duty totally.
There will be no growth but they are charging ahead just as if there will.
You only have to read what is happening not just in Australia but all
round the world, all economies are struggling to get growth.
There is very little surplus energy left to generate it.

Oil is now up to over US$85 and is expected to hit US$90 to 100 later
this year. How do they think all these migrants will get to work from
the areas they are going to rezone. There is no public transport there.
They are unable to build a railway, it just gets too hard.
In any case to expand infrastructure you need growth and there just
won't be enough money to restructure the hospitals, build railways,
build new airports (which won't be needed), as well as build housing
for 200,000 immigrants a year.
It just won't happen.
We won't even be able to pay off our debts.

National debt clock today;
$79293770 and rising at $1,000 a second.

God I am angry !