What if everything we’re told about fixing Australia’s housing crisis is just scratching the surface? That’s the starting point for our conversation with Michele Adair, Managing Director of the Housing Trust and a long-time advocate for meaningful housing reform. Michele brings decades of experience and doesn’t hold back when talking about what’s really broken in the system.

Throughout the episode, we cover key issues that are often ignored or oversimplified in the national conversation around Australia’s housing crisis, including:
Why political promises rarely translate into real, on-the-ground housing outcomes
The limitations of the private market and why it can’t deliver genuinely affordable homes
How capital gains tax discounts cost the federal budget $23 billion a year – funds that could support social housing
The gap between housing policy and delivery, and how that disconnect keeps communities in crisis
Why the Housing Australia Future Fund is a step in the right direction, but severely underfunded and politically vulnerable
The urgent need for a 20-year national housing strategy that includes all levels of government and addresses workforce shortages
How community housing providers are being stretched to the limit, despite being more efficient and regulated than many think
Why defining “affordable housing” matters, and how that definition has been lost at a federal level

If you care about what’s happening in housing, or you’re just tired of hearing the same old solutions that clearly aren’t working, this one’s worth a listen. Let's get started!

Episode Highlights:

00:00 - Introduction

01:21 - Who is Michele Adair?

01:59 - Could the election results have an impact on the ongoing rental crisis?

04:36 - What Michele believes the Labor Party still needs to address beyond supporting HAAF

07:06 - How Michele views the investment fund approach vs direct housing build

09:56 - What’s currently preventing good affordable housing proposals from moving forward

11:02 - Why Michele believes political messaging around “supply” misses the real issue

13:48 - Why housing affordability can’t be fixed by doing the same thing over and over

16:07 - Why housing policy shouldn't be a one-size-fits-all

27:17 - What’s changed, or hasn’t, in the rental crisis since the last conversation

29:49 - How having three levels of government makes fixing housing more difficult

36:50 - Michele’s views on how tax structures and hidden costs affect affordability

38:44 - How community housing is currently financed, and why it’s becoming harder

49:21 - How poorly designed rental laws are putting pressure on both renters and landlords

52:22 - Will regional oversupply outpace urban rental demand?

58:06 - Michele Adair’s property dumbo

59:34 - Thoughts on the 3D printed house

About Our Guest:

After seven years as CEO at Housing Trust, Michele Adair has now moved into the role of Managing Director to focus on portfolio growth. A courageous and pragmatic driving force in housing policy and advocacy, she was named one of the five most powerful people in property by the AFR in 2023 and won the UDIA’s national award for leadership excellence the same year. Michele was the inaugural Chair of Homes Tasmania and joined the Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network as their housing industry expert in 2024.

Connect with Michele Adair:
Website https://www.housingtrust.org.au/
LinkedIn https://au.linkedin.com/in/michele-adair

Resources:
Visit our website https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au
If you have any questions or would like to be featured on our show, contact us at: The Elephant in the Room Property Podcast questions@theelephantintheroom.com.au
Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? https://www.gooddeeds.com.au
Work with Veronica: https://www.veronicamorgan.com.au
Looking for a Mortgage Broker? https://www.alcove.au
Work with Chris: chrisbates@alcove.au

Enjoyed the podcast? Don't miss out on what's yet to come! Hit that subscription button, spread the word and join us for more insightful discussions in real estate. Your journey starts now!
Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theelephantintheroom-podcast
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast/id1384822719
Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Ge1626dgnmK0RyKPcXjP0?si=26cde394fa854765

What if everything we&rsquo;re told about fixing Australia&rsquo;s housing crisis is just scratching the surface? That&rsquo;s the starting point for our conversation with Michele Adair, Managing Director of the Housing Trust and a long-time advocate for meaningful housing reform. Michele brings decades of experience and doesn&rsquo;t hold back when talking about what&rsquo;s really broken in the system.
Throughout the episode, we cover key issues that are often ignored or oversimplified in the national conversation around Australia&rsquo;s housing crisis, including:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Why political promises rarely translate into real, on-the-ground housing outcomes</li>
<li aria-level="1">The limitations of the private market and why it can&rsquo;t deliver genuinely affordable homes</li>
<li aria-level="1">How capital gains tax discounts cost the federal budget $23 billion a year &ndash; funds that could support social housing</li>
<li aria-level="1">The gap between housing policy and delivery, and how that disconnect keeps communities in crisis</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why the Housing Australia Future Fund is a step in the right direction, but severely underfunded and politically vulnerable</li>
<li aria-level="1">The urgent need for a 20-year national housing strategy that includes all levels of government and addresses workforce shortages</li>
<li aria-level="1">How community housing providers are being stretched to the limit, despite being more efficient and regulated than many think</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why defining &ldquo;affordable housing&rdquo; matters, and how that definition has been lost at a federal level</li>
</ul>
If you care about what&rsquo;s happening in housing, or you&rsquo;re just tired of hearing the same old solutions that clearly aren&rsquo;t working, this one&rsquo;s worth a listen. Let's get started!
Episode Highlights:
00:00 - Introduction
01:21 - Who is Michele Adair?
01:59 - Could the election results have an impact on the ongoing rental crisis?
04:36 - What Michele believes the Labor Party still needs to address beyond supporting HAAF
07:06 - How Michele views the investment fund approach vs direct housing build
09:56 - What&rsquo;s currently preventing good affordable housing proposals from moving forward
11:02 - Why Michele believes political messaging around &ldquo;supply&rdquo; misses the real issue
13:48 - Why housing affordability can&rsquo;t be fixed by doing the same thing over and over
16:07 - Why housing policy shouldn't be a one-size-fits-all
27:17 - What&rsquo;s changed, or hasn&rsquo;t, in the rental crisis since the last conversation
29:49 - How having three levels of government makes fixing housing more difficult
36:50 - Michele&rsquo;s views on how tax structures and hidden costs affect affordability
38:44 - How community housing is currently financed, and why it&rsquo;s becoming harder
49:21 - How poorly designed rental laws are putting pressure on both renters and landlords
52:22 - Will regional oversupply outpace urban rental demand?
58:06 - Michele Adair&rsquo;s property dumbo
59:34 - Thoughts on the 3D printed house
About Our Guest:
After seven years as CEO at Housing Trust, Michele Adair has now moved into the role of Managing Director to focus on portfolio growth. A courageous and pragmatic driving force in housing policy and advocacy, she was named one of the five most powerful people in property by the AFR in 2023 and won the UDIA&rsquo;s national award for leadership excellence the same year. Michele was the inaugural Chair of Homes Tasmania and joined the Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network as their housing industry expert in 2024.
Connect with Michele Adair:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Website <a href="https://www.housingtrust.org.au/">https://www.housingtrust.org.au/</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">LinkedIn <a href="https://au.linkedin.com/in/michele-adair">https://au.linkedin.com/in/michele-adair</a></li>
</ul>
Resources:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Visit our website <a href="https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au">https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">If you have any questions or would like to be featured on our show, contact us at: The Elephant in the Room Property Podcast <a href="mailto:questions@theelephantintheroom.com.au">questions@theelephantintheroom.com.au</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Looking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? <a href="http://www.gooddeeds.com.au/">https://www.gooddeeds.com.au</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Work with Veronica: <a href="http://www.veronicamorgan.com.au">https://www.veronicamorgan.com.au</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Looking for a Mortgage Broker? <a href="https://www.alcove.au">https://www.alcove.au</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Work with Chris: <a href="mailto:chrisbates@alcove.au">chrisbates@alcove.au</a></li>
</ul>
Enjoyed the podcast? Don't miss out on what's yet to come! Hit that subscription button, spread the word and join us for more insightful discussions in real estate. Your journey starts now!
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Subscribe on YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@theelephantintheroom-podcast">https://www.youtube.com/@theelephantintheroom-podcast</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast/id1384822719">https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast/id1384822719</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Subscribe on Spotify:&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3Ge1626dgnmK0RyKPcXjP0?si=26cde394fa854765">https://open.spotify.com/show/3Ge1626dgnmK0RyKPcXjP0?si=26cde394fa854765</a></li>
</ul>

Who's really in control when you buy a property?

The Elephant In The Room is where the things that no one wants to talk about, actually get talked about.  

Veronica Morgan, real estate agent, buyers agent and co-host of Foxtel’s Location Location Location Australia & Chris Bates, financial planner, mortgage broker and wealth coach have joined forces to find out what’s really going on in the world of real estate.

Veronica and Chris talk to property owners and buyers every day in their respective lines of business. They’ve observed a wide spectrum of confidence in people’s decision making ability when buying and selling property, often to the detriment of the individuals concerned. They are both fascinated by consumer behaviour and together they’re going to uncover who’s really making the decisions when you buy a property.

In each episode they get into the psyche of buyers, agents, auctioneers and other industry experts to learn the truth about how buyers are influenced and why they do the things they do. In every episode you’ll learn from the mistakes of a “property dumbo” as well as Chris & Veronica’s “elephant rider bootcamp” training session.

The plan? This property podcast has been created to help us all make better property decisions!

We talk about the things no one wants to talk about in the Property Market

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