Big Ideas Fixing Australia's housing crisis — is increasing supply really a silver bullet?
Nov 12, 2025
In a riveting discussion, David Reynolds, a senior public servant from South Australia's Department of Housing, Professor Rachel Ong Viforj, a distinguished housing policy researcher, and Dr. Tim Williams, an architect with extensive urban policy experience, tackle Australia's housing crisis head-on. They explore whether building more homes truly addresses affordability issues or if broader policies are necessary. The trio dives into the complexities of current housing dynamics, evaluating international crises, planning challenges, and the need for innovative solutions to improve housing access for all.
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Supply Is Only Part Of The Solution
- Supply is necessary but not sufficient to fix housing affordability across the board.
- Building without asking what and where we build will not help the most vulnerable.
Global Drivers Trump Planning Alone
- Cheap money and lack of public housing drove an international housing crisis, not identical planning systems.
- Planning is local, but the global drivers (finance, public stock) matter most.
The 98% Problem: Existing Stock Matters
- New supply adds only about 2% of stock annually, so prices are set by the existing 98%.
- We must use existing stock better, not only chase new builds.