Now do actual number of people per dwelling (e.g. census data) over the same time period
Ok so if the number of dwellings has increased at the same rate as the population has grown, why is it so hard to find somewhere to rent?
I’m not saying the numbers are wrong, I just don’t understand why there’s a shortage.
How many of these dwellings are available to rent long-term? The ABS definition is very broad:
A dwelling is a structure which is intended to have people live in it, that is it was established for short-stay or long-stay accommodation.
So AirBnB/Stayz/etc is a contributing problem.
Definitely, although my understanding is that even places like student accommodation and aged care homes contribute to that figure.
Since our borders opened up post covid, our population has been growing at an average of 150k per quarter (https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/national-state-and-territory-population/dec-2024), while we’ve only been building ~40k dwellings per quarter in that time (https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/building-and-construction/building-activity-australia/latest-release ).
Total dwelling builds completed show around 200k per year, down to about 180k/year since 2019 up until now. The “we build more homes than our population demands” is not true, at least not since Covid, and our population growth has absolutely exploded in that time almost entirely due to immigration (see table “Components of quarterly population change” in first link).
Also number of total houses is almost irrelevant when most people, especially immigrants, want to live in the big cities.
As always with people trying to say “immigration isn’t the/an issue”, completely misses the point.
No one is saying immigration caused the housing affordability and availability crisis. No one. What we are saying is that we are in these crises now, and maintaining the current levels of immigration is making them worse and worse every single day.
Again for those that still don’t get it:
Immigration no cause problem. Problem happen. Situation terrible. Immigration now make situation much worse.
Semantics.Your point - that immigration excerbates existing underlying problems - specifically ignores the underlying problem, which in OPs post, describes that housing is a locked / controlled asset (due to it being a speculative investment) , which has itself created an artificial shortage.
Maybe spend less time confusing the issue, and take up a pitchfork against speculative home ownership.
It’s not semantics though, it’s a completely different argument to what you’re claiming is being made.
Maybe spend less time confusing the issue, and take up a pitchfork against speculative home ownership.
You’re the one who confused the issue though lol.
We want immigration paused until we can fix the housing crisis, as increasing the population by 400-500k+ per year while we have nowhere to even house a lot of the people already here is just making it worse. This is indisputable. More demand with same supply = higher prices and worse availability.
You think we’re saying immigration caused the housing crisis. We’re not. I’ve specifically told you that many times…….yet you still say that’s what we’re saying. You’re arguing in “bad faith” because you know you made a mistake but refuse to correct it.
Wow what another hot take. Still garbage.
Australia literally closed borders for years due to COVID (with bugger all disease internally). Immigration was effectively halted. Australia had the perfect opportunity to do exactly what you are saying… And did not.
The average increase in house purchase price, in all states, between 2020 and 2022 (i.e. while immigration pauses were effectively in place) immediately discredits your talking points.
Stop conflating immigration with the problem, which was, is, and remains, housing speculation.
Australia had the perfect opportunity to do exactly what you are saying… And did not.
Not sure if serious, but there were a few other gigantic things going on during that time lol.
Stop conflating immigration with the problem, which was, is, and remains, housing speculation.
Again you completely miss the point. Can you not read? Here, I’ll quote myself for you:
You think we’re saying immigration caused the housing crisis. We’re not. I’ve specifically told you that many times…….yet you still say that’s what we’re saying. You’re arguing in “bad faith” because you know you made a mistake but refuse to correct it.
