Housing policy debate mismatched with Australian culture

Housing is a major election issue but neither party is providing the details voters need.  

From the National Press Club: Housing policy is very tricky to balance effectively. There is no set formula because times and circumstances change. What worked in the Menzies era, when home ownership in Australia was at its highest levels, may not work now. But some things remain the same.

We need infrastructure. Not just roads but also potable water, sewerage, telecommunications, energy, shops, schools, hospitals, emergency services, and police.

Today’s debate at the Press Club between Labor Minister for Housing and Homelessness Clare O’Neil and her counterpart, Liberal Michael Sukkar, was uninspiring. We were introduced on one hand to a Labor policy based on talking to people in inner cities with no clue about the regions, and a Coalition policy closer to reality but not presented in a way that was convincing.

Writing in the Morning Double Shot newsletter, Terry Barnes had this to say.

Meanwhile, the prosaic election campaign set pieces continue. Yesterday it was a debate between housing spokesmen. Political correspondent Michael de Percy, whose National Press Club house account is taking a battering to give you a ringside seat, was totally unimpressed with both the debate and the way the spokesmen spoke. That sentence pretty well applies to the whole campaign for your scribe.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Housing policy debate mismatched with Australian culture.

MICHAEL DE PERCY | "Plenty of land for wind turbines and solar panels - but no land for living." 🙃
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"Both sides have prioritised headlines over blueprints. Many Australian families want detached houses, not shoebox apartments. It’s part of our… pic.twitter.com/oaWqP9dPP8

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) April 16, 2025

Tone-deaf Greens disco on Anzac Day

WA Greens backflip after community backlash about planned ANZAC Day rave fundraiser 

Australia is in a strange space where the traditions that enabled our high standard of living are being taken for granted by those who revel in the freedoms our Diggers continue to defend. There are few days as hallowed as Anzac Day. It is not merely a public holiday, it is a moment when Australians pause to honour those who put their lives on the line, whether it was on the shores of Gallipoli, the jungles of Kokoda, or the deserts of Afghanistan.

It’s a day for reflection, for gratitude, and for the quiet acknowledged that our freedoms were paid for in blood. Sophie Greer, the Greens’ candidate for Perth, and her party have decided to mark this solemn occasion with a ‘Greens Party Party’ fundraiser at an inner-city bar and tattoo parlour.

While most Australians will be attending dawn services, laying wreaths, or sharing a quiet moment with family, the WA Greens, under Greer’s banner, are planning to hold a rave dance party to raise funds for their election campaign.

Writing in the Unfiltered newsletter, Alexandra Marshall had this to say:

Michael de Percy brings us two pieces today. The first relates to the insensitive Greens disco organised for Anzac Day. ‘Sophie Greer, the Greens’ candidate for Perth, and her party have decided to mark this solemn occasion with a ‘Greens Party Party’ fundraiser at an inner-city bar and tattoo parlour.’ Indeed, and before the day was out, they quietly moved it – presumably out of embarrassment.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Tone-deaf Greens disco on Anzac Day.

NOTHING IS SACRED TO THE #GREENS 😔

There are few days as hallowed as Anzac Day ... so naturally the Greens are having a fundraiser at a tattoo parlour.

Anzac Day is not a backdrop for political opportunism.https://t.co/CWdSDh2Z9T

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) April 15, 2025

Albo’s ‘Blight on the Hill’ is blinding the MSM

Kristy McBain's campaign materials are subject to a complaint to the AEC.

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price says she wants to ‘make Australia great again’. The reaction? ‘They finally said the quiet bit out loud.’

Peter Dutton’s son has to save to buy a house and he’s struggling to do so? Dutton is a millionaire, so he ‘is either lying or cruel’.

The mainstream media (MSM) is so bored they are looking for anything to pick up on except the reality of our economic situation. Albanese is leading us to his ‘blight on the hill’. It’s not a beacon of social justice; it’s a place where the Greens finally leverage Labor to use the rest of other peoples’ money to implement their socialist ideas.

Make no mistake, we are deep in it. If the Coalition do not get over the line on May 3, then we only have ourselves to blame.

Writing in the Unfiltered Newsletter, Alexandra Marshall had this to say:

The press might have had a point about the Greens, but they are picking at crumbs when it comes to the Liberals. No matter how small the flaw, they are ready to descend. If they continue, Michael warns, ‘Make no mistake, we are deep in it. If the Coalition do not get over the line on May 3, then we only have ourselves to blame.’

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Albo’s ‘Blight on the Hill’ is blinding the MSM.

MICHAEL DE PERCY:

"Make no mistake, we are deep in it. If the Coalition do not get over the line on May 3, then we only have ourselves to blame.

Nobody except those who received exorbitant government-mandated pay rises are better off. Nobody."https://t.co/jic3haOUSi

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) April 15, 2025