The End of Affordability Part 4

The End of Affordability is a grassroots documentary, and has been divided into 5 parts for viewing on YouTube, each part approximately 5 minutes in duration.

The aim of the film, produced in late 2006, is to provide an overview of the problems associated with what is commonly known as "urban consolidation", with particular reference to the reduction in housing affordability resulting from this disastrous planning policy.

Many governments (including the NSW State Government), environmentalists, planners and business interest have advocated this approach for more than a decade. However, not a single successful example of urban consolidation exists in the world, and there are now a growing number of people and organisations coming out against what is a fundamentally flawed and socially destructive planning ideology.

Dr Tony Recsei, President of Save our Suburbs (SOS) is interviewed about the problems of urban consolidation. Five major issues or "fallacies" are discussed, with the reduction in housing affordability being the biggest problem now facing the first home buyer.

In addition, the fight by CAPO and its thousands of supporters against a major apartment development in the Sydney suburb of Putney is highlighted as a typical example of what is happening in many suburbs and towns around Australia. The democratic rights of citizens and their local councils are being overruled by centralised State Government planning policies. The end result is that the ability of the average individual or family to own and live in their own home is under more threat than at any time in the last 60 years.

The critical problem of housing affordability is confirmed by The National Affordable Housing Forum held at Old Parliament House Canberra on 23-24 July 2006, where it concluded that:

"During the last decade or so,

• average house prices relative to income have almost doubled
• the proportion of first homebuyers has fallen by about 20%
• average monthly payments on new loans have risen by 50%
• the proportion of low-rent homes has fallen by at least 15%
• opportunities to rent public housing have fallen by at least 30%"

For more information about this documentary please contact: Dr Tony Recsei, President of Save our Suburbs on:

• Phone: (02) 9487 2061
• Email: trecsei@bigpond.net.au

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• housing
• affordability
• urban
• consolidation

[kramd1]

plain to see we umans like to live in cities. : )

Could you suggest one alternative for the masses ?

Is it near hogwash ?

[Wildhiland]

No it is not. But your moronic comment is.

[kramd1]

ok name caller , suggest an alternative ?

You migrate here and complain about fairness. So what do you suggest. You offer no alternative, just complaint.

[Wildhiland]

I said your comment was moronic, i.e. "Is it near hogwash?" This does not necessarily apply to yourself. There are a number of alternatives which I am sure you and many other people are aware of. However, living in apartment blocks up to 25 levels high is not a very desirable way for the masses as you call them to live. The majority of people coming to Australia are trying to get away from the horrors of overcrowded cities and sub-standard accommodation, not be faced with the problem again.

[kramd1]

I don't mean to be negative . I suggest that an alternative could be small sustainable communities.

However I'm not sure that people are looking for this , Having more is a a major lure to people, the hope of earning bigger incomes.

Urban development has been around for a long time, The first urban developments of mesopotamia ( the oldest known ) had people living in cities where trading and markets worked.

[3DegreeSydney]

Sydney's urban sprawl has practically wiped out what is left of the Cumberland Plain Woodland ecology. Further land release on the suburban fringe in the South West, West and North West will destroy the majority of what unprotected bush areas are left, e.g. former ADI site at St. Mary's. The same has occurred in Melbourne where a large area of untouched and rare grasslands on former RAAF land has recently been given over to a sprawling development of detached dwellings. Sprawl kills bushland!

[Wildhiland]

Great youve taken time to record these comments. Property speculation has spread like a disease over the past 20 years. Now every man & his dog is involved in negative gearing, which pushes prices up, & forces people to become life-long renters because they can't afford inflated housing prices. It creates a vicious circle; & the argument that subsidised investment leads to more rental properties is a joke! In addition, those that pay the full rate of tax are forced to subsidise this nonsense.

[Steven2690]

3.

so to prevent gready people from forcing up the value and making it harder for average people to own their own house.

And you are 100 percent correct there is absolutely NO shortage of land in this country we are one of the biggest countries in the world with a relatively small population, so this shortage of land argument is utter bullshit

[Steven2690]

2.

it only took my parents a couple of years to pay off this house in a nice average middle/working class suburb with my dad having an average income, Yet if I wanted to buy a similar house it would take my whole life to pay it off,

I think they should relase all the land surrounding Sydney/Central Coast,

I also think we need some good strong social policies like Taxing the hell out of people who want to buy a second property/investment property other than the property they live in

[Steven2690]

1.

I agree with you, I am a young bloke, it makes me sick and it even makes me depresed sometimes knowing that I will never be able to own a house(except my inheritance) all I want to do is move out and buy somewhere nice to live I am sick of living at home, with the money I have saved up I would already have payed off half the price of a house if housing was still AFFORDABLE,