Why there is a Housing Shortage in a land of 7.6m Km2

[GregA]

The answer to this seemingly paradoxical question lies in a culture whose ancestors were transported against their wishes, from a class lacking both the means and inclination to migrate otherwise, and failing to adapt to their 'noo 'ome'. Over time a subconscious awareness of social awkwardness led them to avoid higher-density housing (lest they run into a neighbor in the hallway) while their insecurities did not let them stray far. This left them clustered in the corners/capitals of the six former English colonies. And, their cultural need to stay close to one another resulted in stand-alone bungalows scattered across ever-expanding suburbs, these factors combined and result in a housing shortage in a large land.

Sure, we all dream of having our own castle, but Ozzie’s little humpies are nothing like that. Sydney has turned into a glorified shanty town, somehow bigger than New York or London.

 

[GregA]

The answer to this seemingly paradoxical question lies in a culture whose ancestors were transported against their wishes, lacking both the means and inclination to migrate otherwise, and failing to adapt to their 'noo 'ome'. Over time a subconscious awareness of social awkwardness led them to avoid higher-density housing (lest they run into a neighbor in the hallway) while their insecurities did not let them stray far. This left them clustered in the corners/capitals of the six former English colonies. And, their cultural need to stay close to one another resulted in stand-alone bungalows scattered across ever-expanding suburbs, and these combined and result in a housing shortage in a large land.

Sure, we all dream of having our own castle, but Ozzie’s little humpies are nothing like that. Sydney has turned into a glorified shanty town, somehow bigger than New York or London.

Am I being unfair? Sure, Ozzie’s 'appy wiff wot 'e’s got, but that attitude won’t sustain an economy or build a strong military defense. And complacency is his middle name, with the “she’ll be right, mate” apathy bound to turn into “we did our best, no one couldargh done any bettargh” fatalism when he eventually fails (and sets off with a six pack of VB in his tinny for Chile).

 

[Squire]

Am I being unfair? Sure, Ozzie’s 'appy wiff wot 'e’s got, but that attitude won’t sustain an economy or build a strong military defense. And complacency is his middle name, with the “she’ll be right, mate” apathy bound to turn into “we did our best, no one couldargh done any bettargh” fatalism when he eventually fails (and sets off with a six pack of VB in his tinny for Chile).

Oy! oy! 0y!

There is not a single politician with the slightest concept of solving the housing problem.

Councils and NIMBY lobbying organizations are an impediment to solutions.

There are too many entities with an interest in maintaining chaos in the housing industry.

 

[GregA]

Oy! oy! 0y!

There is not a single politician with the slightest concept of solving the housing problem.

Councils and NIMBY lobbying organizations are an impediment to solutions.

There are too many entities with an interest in maintaining chaos in the housing indsutry.

A few years ago, I posted on Twitter/X about how farming land lost to urban sprawl could be partly recovered by legislating that every suitable rooftop be managed by councils, enabling them to require utility companies to invest in installing solar panels. This would help preserve (the 'recovery' process) farmland from the unattractive and unethical practice of ‘solar farming,’ which is all about profit not the environment anyhow. Before that, though, all bungalows could have a self-contained second floor added, turning them into 1.5-storey homes. While conversions can be pricey due to being one-off projects, systematically building on top of an existing house uses the same foundations, plumbing, water, and sewage systems there’s really no reason they should (and in fact for the above good reasons shouldn't) cost more than constructing new single bed units from scratch. Solving in part the housing crisis and electricity supply. It takes electricity to make aluminium which means it can be turned back into electricity the solar 'overload' issue is then resolved. The only problem with this I see is that Ozzie does not want an attractive house because it draws attention the thing he fears most. But if he opts out of the extension (which should never be built in a backyard) he should pay a penalty to his council for the impact of urban sprawl on farming land. That's not to mention the fuel wasted in the long drivetimes.

If you know how I can close my membership, please explain. I've decided to reopen my website, but I can't share the link here as it would go against my principles—I'm not here to poach members. This is my last post, thanks for the replies. Bye

 

[Squire]

Every Western country can build houses cheaper than Australians can.

Australian building industry has not moved with the times and they are using construction methods that other countries have abandoned because they are low productivity and high cost.

Perhaps in Australia, the lean-to is the only possible solution.

 

[GregA]

But that’s just it, we don’t want lean-tos. If Ozzie had his way, he’d be living in a shipping container—after all, his culture did arrive here in the hold of a ship—and nothing beats steel for being scorching in summer and freezing in winter, two perfect excuses for him to waste more power. We’d end up with them (the lean-tos) clad and lined in corrugated iron. We don't want that. We want quality housing not Ozzie housing. Check out the image below it was the setting for the movie the Truman Show, but it's not a studio backlot, its real. Go to Street View and see that American houses even in its poor districts are on par (if not better) with our regular housing. And sure we could be happy with Ozzie's low standards but unfortunately they will not sustain us in a region of high population, economic and military pressure. Even if it comes down to simple physics, that is not casting any aspersions on any other countries, we are a population, economic and military 'vacuum'.

I will do a few more replies but no posts

 

[GregA]

My last reply. It’s no one’s fault if they don’t catch what I’m saying, which boils down to this: our origins as a penal colony are now (after sustaining ourselves with the wool off the sheep's back, selling off our precious non-renewable and dwindling, minerals) steering us toward our downfall. Yet, in a relaxed and complacent state—and despite history being filled with examples of nations invaded (the Brits were invaded 73 times over 800 years)—we believe it won’t happen to us. This in your instance stems from your understandable inability to grasp the bigger picture (summarized above), paired with the arrogance, whether born of ignorance or personal pride, of the others who either can’t or won’t see it. Ozzie's fatalism drives them to simply accept it. The only real hope I see is for 'Ostralians' to rise from our current decline and take decisive 'National Action'. That is lest we become a province of China, another bigger Hawaii, a warmer Alaska and so on.