For generations, the roadmap to the “Australian Dream” was linear: get an education, work hard, buy a house, and set yourself up for life. But today, even high earners find themselves at the mercy of a skyrocketing property market.  

If you’re finding it harder to buy assets, spend, and invest, plus wealth is tied up in older generations, what does that mean for the future of our economy? 

UNSW Vice Chancellor’s Professor Richard Holden warns that when the dream of homeownership feels out of reach, it could trigger a bigger psychological shift. "If people think that they're never going to own a home, never going to be able to build wealth, and don’t have a stake in their future, then that's a very damaging thing."  

If you can't rely on bricks and mortar to build wealth, how do you get ahead? 

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Interested in hearing about how businesses are reacting to the housing shortage?  Listen to our episode with UNSW Professor Philip Oldfield.  

The Business Of podcast is brought to you by the University of New South Wales Business School, produced with Deadset Studios. It’s hosted by Dr Juliet Bourke, and the transcript can be found on our website. 

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We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made.