Housing affordability continues to be a major concern in Australia and not just for would-be first home buyers. It also affects pre-retirees forced to work longer to repay bigger mortgages and older Australians unable to downsize from large family homes due to a lack of affordable options. 

The latest 2016 Census revealed a gradual decline in home ownership over the past decade from 68 per cent of all Australian households in 2006 to 65 per cent in 2016. And those of us with mortgages are more likely to be stretched to the limit, with over 7 per cent of home buyers paying more than 30 per cent of their income on mortgage costs.

 It’s not only homeowners feeling the pinch. Rising house prices mean more of us are renting in the private market. Almost 25 per cent of households are renting privately, up from 21 per cent a decade ago; a further 4.2 per cent are in public housing. This puts upward pressure on private rents and increases demand for public housing.

 

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