New figures on house prices for the September quarter from Domain showed the national median house price is now within just $2000 of the record levels. Adelaide and Perth are already at all-time highs and Domain’s chief of research and economics, Nicola Powell, says the national gauge will almost certainly eclipse that mark by the end of the year, even as price growth moderates.David Rowe
The lunch, which brought together members of Melbourne’s philanthropic community and property community, did highlight some good ideas. John McLeod, the co-founder of JBWere’s philanthropic services, suggested that changing the way we view subsidies for social and affordable could be important; he argues that these are effectively savings for the public purse, as getting a family in need into a house will reduce the burden on the health, justice and welfare system.
“I’d be having state governments getting one way of doing planning approvals and speeding the hell out of that. That’d be the one thing, from talking to developers and builders, that will probably make the biggest difference. We can get people into housing quickly at a lower cost.”of course, and getting local governments to take their hands off the planning tiller is likely to be painful.