Software developer.
Data journalist.
Code and stories for ABC News Story Lab.
Sometimes musician/actor.
Husband and father.
Animal lover.
(Admin for https://bne.social with @ash@bne.social)
Across Australia, older parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents are looking back at the ease with which they bought their first homes, and questioning whether the country’s decades-long slide in affordability can be reversed for the sake of younger generations.
“The supercharging of housing as an asset rather than a place to live should never have happened in the first place and had to be unwound to help our society become more equitable.”
The media really out here trying their darnedest at making us feel sorry for people who own multiple houses rather than people who own zero houses is really quite baffling
“Every country that has tried to build its way out of housing crises without dealing with the underlying problem of inequality and distribution has built a slum. The whole world is filled with these places that have had no restrictions on housing, and they built a massive shanty town outside of their city.
“And you think that can’t happen in a country like Australia. I grew up in Ilford, which is a poor suburb of East London...it was a poor suburb for working-class families, and it is now a slum. It’s as simple as that. All respect to the people that live there, is a place of desperate poverty, and those family homes are now expanded backwards, expanded upwards, and rented out by the room.
“Australia is a bit behind on this, but you’re going in the same direction. You will build a super luxury centre surrounded by extremely low-quality slums.”
"If anything changes, I will be forced to raise it by the exact amount I already will be" he said to the media. https://chaser.com.au/general-news/landlord-warns-he-will-raise-rent-if/
I wish Australia would do something like this https://itsfoss.com/news/netherlands-forgejo-migration/
"I think the most important thing to understand if you take anything away from this video is that we are clearly using the wrong policy to fix the inflation because if we cause the inflation by giving money to the rich then the way to fix it is to take money from the rich."
Why is this concept so hard for economists and politicians to understand???? 🤔
Wikipedia’s founder, Jimmy Wales, has branded the Australian social media ban an “unmitigated disaster” and an “embarrassment” that is teaching kids to accept surveillance from tech companies when they go online. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/may/04/wikipedia-founder-brands-australias-social-media-ban-an-unmitigated-disaster-and-an-embarrassment
Good news. Now do the Brisbane CBD. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-05/surfers-paradise-esplanade-closed-gold-coast-council-vote/106638184
"Imagine if I were to come to you … and put this proposition to you: I'll sell your house and I'll give you 30% and I'll keep the other 70%, and you should be happy with that because I've just converted an asset into cash. None of you would be stupid enough to do that." https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy02pzxd4y4o
“Far from combatting antisemitism, these laws are criminalising peaceful protesters — including two Jewish Australians arrested this weekend.” https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/could-queenslands-controversial-banned-speech-laws-be-quashed-in-court/91h8ipixx
1. People will always find somewhere to live – even if it’s unhealthy, unsafe, or unlawful.
2. Governments will oscillate between tolerance and punishment. In the 1940s, they fluctuated between threatening eviction and installing water and toilets in camps.
2. The only durable solution is supply, but not market supply – public supply.
Using interest rates alone to try to control inflation is so incredibly stupid. Here's a few other ideas. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-07/what-if-we-used-taxes-or-superannuation-to-control-inflation/106645404
"The figures show just how pointless such a rise would be at affecting inflation. It would instead just be another whack on households who have already been hit by fuel costs." https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2026/apr/30/inflation-rba-interest-rate-rise-reserve-bank-australia-abs
I have some reading to do https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/may/12/the-100-best-novels-of-all-time
