If You're Listening 02 Black Swans | The Australian Dream
Jan 14, 2026
The podcast dives deep into Australia's housing crisis, exploring the drastic changes since the 1950s when home ownership was accessible. Listeners learn about mid-century visions of housing versus today’s soaring prices. The story of Elizabeth, a planned satellite city, reveals its ambitious beginnings and subsequent challenges. Cultural clashes among migrants and the impact of deindustrialization further show the complexity of this issue. Government responses and the future of urban living are critically examined, raising questions about affordability and decentralisation.
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Housing Used To Attract Industry
- Playford used housing policy to lure industry by promising lower wages and cheap housing to manufacturers.
- That created growth but also a cycle where rising population pushed wages and housing pressures back up.
Elizabeth: A Planned Worker City
- Alex Ramsey led the South Australian Housing Trust to build Elizabeth as a planned city of homes and factories for workers.
- The project produced thousands of houses and attracted firms like Holden with cheap land and subsidised housing.
Family Life In Postwar Housing
- Bernard Salt recalled his family in a three-bedroom government house on a quarter-acre with eight people sharing basic amenities.
- Residents prized those homes despite cramped conditions because they fitted the postwar Australian dream.