Co-sleeping with pets
Building Momentum
All hands are on deck to kick housing construction into high gear, but is there an end in sight to the affordability crisis?
Economics 101 dictates that when demand for a product exceeds supply, prices jump.
It’s a pretty simple equation that’s seen housing affordability sink to all-time lows in Australia, as a surging population has swamped the troubled construction sector.
In short, we’re not building enough homes to meet demand and that’s led to soaring prices.
As population growth has reached record highs in recent years, the price of an average home has skyrocketed, jumping more than 45 per cent to $800,000 over the past five years, while rent has been on a similar steep climb.
At the end of 2024, the average Aussie household, on a median annual income of $101,000, could only afford about 10 per cent of homes in the country, according to research by Core Logic and ANZ. That’s in stark contrast to mid-2022, when around 40 per cent of the country’s housing stock was within reach for the same family.
This affordability crisis is a massive headache for the Federal Government, with housing shaping as a key issue for the upcoming federal election, due to be held on or before May 17.
While long-awaited interest rate cuts may ease the squeeze, industry stakeholders agree the only long-term solution is to ramp up construction and bring supply up to meet demand.
But that’s easier said than done after years of turmoil in the construction industry, including corporate collapses, surging costs and material and labour shortages.
Throughout the pandemic years, building costs have jumped by an average of 28.5 per cent per home, with houses also taking longer to build, according to the ABS, particularly in WA where the average time to complete a house had blown out from around seven months in September 2019 to more than 16 months by March 2024.
So, at a time when home-building really needs to pick up, it’s actually slowing down. Building approvals for 2023/24 dipped to their lowest level since 2011/12.
And as industry groups call for action on a growing crisis, the Federal Government has stepped in with a flagship agreement it hopes will turn things around – The National Housing Accord.
What is the National Housing Accord?
In a nutshell, the accord is a five-year agreement between all levels of government and housing stakeholders – including institutional investors and building industry representatives –to prioritise home-building.
It acknowledges that while governments can’t actually build the homes – that’s down to the private sector – it can tweak laws and policies to help get housing developments out of the ground faster.
The accord has set a target of 1.2 million new dwellings (this includes houses and units) built within its five-year span, which kicked off in July 2024 and runs through to the end of June 2029.
How achievable is the target?
To meet the target of building 1.2m dwellings by July 2029, the building industry would need to complete an average of 240,000 new homes each financial year for the next five years.
That’s more homes than have ever been built annually. More recently that number has hovered around 171,000, so hitting 240,000 homes a year would require a jump of close to 40 per cent.
It is an ambitious target, with some commentators fearing it may be unachievable. But without intervention it’s projected that home building will lag new annual demand until 2026/27, according to National Housing Supply and Affordability Council estimates (see table). So, Aussies can expect housing to remain tight well into 2026.
How does the accord hope to change things?
The accord aims to tackle what have been identified as major roadblocks to residential development including:
• Slow and inconsistent approaches to approvals, zoning and land releases.
• Restrictive taxes such as stamp duty.
• Skill shortages and low levels of productivity and innovation in the construction sector that slow the building process.
Home buyers will hopefully benefit from the changes already rolling out, including:
• The abolition of stamp duty for first-home owners who buy or build a new house or unit in South Australia, regardless of price. Victoria has slashed stamp duty for off-the-plan apartments and Federal Housing Minister Clare O’Neil has called on all States to ditch the tax that adds tens of thousands to the cost of a home.
• In NSW, the Government has stripped councils of the power to block major residential developments for the period of the accord. From January 8 this year, residential developments exceeding $30m in regional areas and $60m in Sydney can bypass local planning authorities and, instead, go to a State-run housing delivery authority for approval.
• Trials are underway in WA, Queensland and NSW of prefab and modular housing options which will be quicker and cheaper to build. The Federal Government is moving to fast-track approval and certification processes for these builds.
• An online league table to monitor and rank local government authorities across NSW according to how long they take to process development applications, with financial incentives for the fastest.
Even if the ambitious target of 1.2 million homes is not fully realised, the National Housing Accord is poised to bring much-needed reforms to the housing sector. Its success will depend on sustained collaboration between government, industry and investors.
The
Great Pan Exchange
Ever tossed an old pot or pan in the general rubbish bin?
You’re not alone – 72 per cent of Australians have, leading to 2.5 million pieces of cookware ending up in landfill each year. That’s about 7,000 pieces a day – enough to create a 700m tower into the sky if every pan was stacked on top of each other!
Now there’s a better option. Kitchen Warehouse has launched the in-store Great Pan Exchange, a convenient and eco-friendly way to dispose of your old cookware.
Take in any cookware made from iron, steel, aluminium or copper, including non-stick surfaces, and it will be recycled, giving every component a second life. Plus, through the Great Pan Exchange, you’ll receive a 10 per cent discount on a brand-new pan from Tefal.
Not only are you helping to reduce landfill, but you’re also saving money. It’s a win-win for the environment and your wallet!
City limits
Would you be better off earning less in a
regional centre?
It’s a question more homebuyers are answering with a resounding “yes”, as new research shows spiralling housing prices in capital cities have outstripped the advantage once offered by higher wages.
Despite earning thousands more than their regional counterparts, some city workers can end up worse off due to higher mortgage costs, according to a report from not-for-profit economic think tank e61 Institute.
After crunching the numbers using wage data from 2022, e61 found workers in the care and service industries, along with those in blue-collar jobs, had the most to gain by ditching the city for regional centres.
Workers such as paramedics, childcare workers and administrative assistants earned on average $2620 more in cities, but once housing costs were taken into account, they could end up $8250 a year worse off than their regional counterparts.
The difference was even more marked for those in jobs such as truck driving and labouring, where city-based workers actually earned less than their regional peers, leaving them on average about $10,000 a year worse off.
It was still almost lineball for knowledge workers, who had large wage advantages chewed up by housing costs. According to e61, city-based professionals such as doctors, accountants and graphic designers earned an average of $13,730 more than their regional equivalents, but ended up only $700 a year better off once housing costs were factored in. In the past decade, a steep rise in city prices has eroded much of the urban wage advantage knowledge workers used to have. Back in 2012, they would have been more than $11,000 better off in capital cities.
With more than four million Aussie kids recently returning to school after the summer holidays, we’re on the hunt for the best backto-school blunders story. For frazzled parents, things can quickly go awry when juggling busy lives. Share your biggest back-to-school mishap for a chance to win $1,000.
How: in 350 words or fewer, send your answer to: havencompetitions@afgonline.com.au placing ‘Back to school’ in the subject line.
Include: your name, address, email, phone number and the name of your mortgage broker.
Dates: opens on February 12 and closes on April 10.
Winner: will be decided on April 11 and notified by telephone after this time.
Terms and conditions: visit http://bit.ly/HavenWin
But for many movers it’s not just the comparable cost of housing. The bang-for-buck factors such as bigger blocks and larger homes prompt many to move.
This search for space may also be the reason demographers say migration from capital cities to regional areas is dominated by millennials (now aged 29-44), who may be looking for quality of life as they start families and their priorities change.
This drift away from the capitals is a trend that demographers noted at the end of 2019, but has been turbocharged by greater workplace flexibility. It remains high, with the number of people relocating from capital cities to regional centres up 20 per cent on pre-Covid levels, according to tracker Regional Movers Index.
What cities are on the wane?
Not all capitals are losing residents at the same rate. Sydney and Melbourne together account for 95 per cent of net population outflows from Australia’s capital cities in the September quarter for 2024.
Unsurprisingly, Sydney, Australia’s most expensive capital, accounted for the largest chunk of that outflow at 57 per cent, while residents leaving Melbourne accounted for 38 per cent of total numbers leaving capitals.
And where did all these city escapees head to? Overwhelmingly the east coast: south-east Queensland was a popular destination, while regional NSW and Victoria were favoured by those leaving Sydney and Melbourne.
Regional hotspots
According to the latest data from the Regional Australia Institute, the top five most popular regional destinations for people leaving capital cities are:
1. Sunshine Coast, Qld (retained number one spot for nearly two years running).
2. Greater Geelong, Vic.
3. Gold Coast, Qld.
4. Moorabool, Vic.
5. Lake Macquarie, NSW.
The fastest movers, judged by largest annual percentage increase in migration from capital cities are:
1. Bunbury, WA.
2. Moira, Vic.
3. Scenic Rim, Qld.
4. Wangaratta, Vic.
5. Murray Bridge, SA.
What to consider?
For some, a move to the regions can be a case of having it all, with flexible work offering the advantage of picking up a city wage while living outside the city’s premium price zones. Regions within a couple of hours’ commute of capitals are popular with those who only need to be in an office one or two days a week.
However, permanently relocating from a busy capital city can be a culture shock, particularly for parents who may be moving away from social support networks. So, a few things to consider about regional destinations include:
• What is the community like? Are there organisations to join to help integrate and meet other locals?
• Is there sufficient access to services, shops and cafes? Specifically consider medical facilities available and the quality of internet infrastructure (especially if working remotely).
• Are there sporting, school and social opportunities for children and teenagers? Families who make the move should consider how the location will work as their children grow older.
• Housing may be cheaper, but food may not. Many regional areas pay more for groceries due to the transport costs involved and limited competition from local retailers.
• How will it impact career opportunities?
As migration to regional Australia climbs, experts believe it will continue to build on itself, as larger, more diverse populations attract more commerce, services and jobs to regional centres. Ultimately, as more people consider regional areas, they present opportunities for a different lifestyle and potentially lower living costs. However, factors such as local infrastructure, job opportunities, and personal circumstances should be carefully weighed before making the move.
Awww or ick? Snoozing with furry friends.
Do you snuggle up with your cat or dog? Almost half of pet owners (48.7 per cent) share their bed with a pet, according to a 2024 survey by insurance comparison site Compare the Market. Adding to the pile (of fur in the bed), this marks a significant increase from a year earlier, when the 2023 survey found 41.4 per cent of owners let their pets sleep in their bed.
No doubt a source of arguments in some households, whether you should allow your pooch or pussycat to join you in bed comes down to personal preferences – though the benefits may outweigh the negatives.
Pros:
• Snuggling up with your pet may lead to a better night’s sleep by providing a sense of comfort and security, reducing anxiety or stress.
• Being natural heaters, pets can help us feel warm on a cold winter’s night.
• It builds a bond by helping the pet feel more secure and loved. And the bond works both ways though – for many, a pet is considered a member of the family, and close contact with them helps strengthen bonds.
Cons:
• Pets can bring parasites, bacteria and allergens into the bed. Though for animals that are kept clean and have routine vet checks, the transfer risk is low. (And on the flipside, there is a school of thought that living with pets influences the makeup of bacteria found in a home, which may in turn positively influence the immunity of the humans living with them).
• Sleep could be disrupted from a restless or snoring pet. Depending on the size of the pet – or its tendency to bed hog – the extra occupant could cramp the bed.
• Bed sharing can sometimes lead to increased clinginess, territoriality, or challenges enforcing boundaries in other areas.
There’s no right or wrong when it comes to sharing your bed with a pet. And since in many cases human-animal co-sleeping provides strong psychological and emotional benefits, as long as the pros outweigh the cons, go ahead and welcome Fluffy or Fido to join you in the Land of Nod.
We asked for your tales of memorable Christmas presents – be they funny, bizarre or cringy – and Cameron walks away with $1,000 thanks to his grandmother’s memorable childhood gifting.
“Christmas with Grandma was always a wildcard. While other kids ripped into boxes of Lego or unwrapped the latest video games, my holiday treasures were unique. If Christmas is about surprise, then my grandma was the queen of keeping me on my toes.
Take the Christmas of the sultanas, for example. I was 10, and my expectations were sky-high. The wrapping paper rustled as I peeled it away to reveal a bulk-sized pack of sultanas. My first thought? What did I do to deserve this? It wasn’t even the fancy kind, like the chocolate-covered ones. Nope – just your classic, no-frills dried grapes. She looked at me with this proud, beaming smile and said, ‘They’re full of iron, you know!’ Because what 10-year-old doesn’t dream of a fibre-rich Christmas?
Fast forward a few years to what I now call the year of the Deep Heat. I was a lanky teenager, dabbling in volleyball and forever complaining about sore muscles. Grandma must’ve heard my grumbles because, come Christmas morning, there it was: a tube of Deep Heat. Wrapped carefully, as if it were the crown jewel of her holiday shopping.
‘Grandma, is this muscle cream?’ I asked, staring at her in disbelief.
‘Your body will thank me,’ she said, unfazed, sipping her tea as if she’d just solved world hunger. To her credit, I did end up using it, though not without the occasional tear from accidentally getting it on places it should not go.
Looking back, these gifts have become the stuff of family legend. While Grandma’s presents were never Instagram-worthy, they were memorable –and isn’t that the whole point? She taught me that gifts don’t need to be expensive or trendy to stick with you forever. And every time I see a pack of sultanas or catch a whiff of Deep Heat, I think, ‘thanks, Grandma. You nailed it’.”
HAVEN MONEY
Sometimes the internet can surprise you… in a good way.
Think you’ve had a dodgy tradesman around, but not quite sure what’s normal? Wondering how to DIY some steps? Or maybe you’re just having trouble deciding on kitchen tiles?
Why not ask the internet? Sure, it’s the same place that gave us Boaty McBoatface and the cinnamon challenge, but there’s some surprising wisdom to be found online if you know where to look.
It can seem impossible to secure the services of a tradie or designer in the real world, but head online and there are a surprising number of professionals offering opinions and advice for free.
As you prepare to tackle 2025’s to-do list, let’s run through some of the most useful among a growing number of online forums where experts (and enthusiastic amateurs) are happy to help DIY-ers get it right.
RENOVATION AND REPAIRS
DIY Forum Australia
With more than 188,000 members, this broad-ranging Facebook forum generates plenty of feedback. Be warned, now and then it can be brutally honest. Those who have trade experience will usually state this upfront, so you know what weight to give to differing opinions.
Users can ask for advice, but many also share completed projects and plans. For others, it’s a useful way to gather feedback on work they may have paid a professional to do, but are unhappy with the end result.
Members can share their experience with similar projects, or recommend the best course of action once something has gone pear-shaped. It can be easy for homeowners to get snowed by sub-par tradespeople, so this forum helps arm homeowners with the knowledge and confidence to ask the right questions.
AusRenovation
Getting multiple quotes can often be a tough ask for homeowners. But with only one, or even two, you’re often left struggling to judge what is a fair price for the work being quoted. This Reddit forum devotes Mondays to delivering feedback on quotes and invoices.
Other days it’s open for any other renovation-related questions. With 87,000 members and many professionals among that number, it’s full of advice on anything from deciding whether to paint laminate kitchen cabinets to what to do about suspicious cracks in brickwork.
HomeOne Forum
While not as active as Reddit or Facebook forums, HomeOne generally prompts considered responses from building industry professionals.
It’s great for more technical queries about building design, codes and contracts. For example, one homeowner was told in the middle of a build that wall-wrap was unnecessary for his brick veneer home. He asked for advice on HomeOne and an experienced builder explained why he should insist on it, and approximately how much it should cost.
LANDSCAPING
Landscaping DIY Australia
Even though Aussie block sizes are shrinking, we still love planning a garden project. This landscaping group is one of the largest Australian design forums on Facebook, with 298,000 members.
Need advice on what to plant to screen out your neighbours? How about fixing drainage issues or laying floating concrete steps? This is the group for you.
It’s particularly useful for planting recommendations and advice on common lawn or garden pests. There is also plenty of discussion about fencing laws.
DESIGN
Houzz Discussion Forums
While Houzz is always a great site for inspo, including plenty of before and after photos along with renovation stories, it’s also great for ferreting out professional advice.
Once on the discussion homepage, you can take a deep dive into threads sorted by a huge range of topics including design dilemmas, plumbing, bathroom, appliances, and home decorating.
For those who’ve struggled through the decision fatigue that comes with renovating, simply putting flooring or tile options to a bunch of strangers to comment on can actually be incredibly useful.
Users can see the profiles of top commenters, with many in the design and renovation industry.
Forum members often post photos of rooms or floorplans seeking advice on layout, so it’s a great first or last step in any renovation planning to help either generate ideas or spot potential problems.
Sometimes advice from those who have been there before can be more helpful than professional input.
Budget Home Décor and Design Australia/New Zealand; and Ikea Tips, Hacks and More!
If you’re looking for a few decorating ideas on a budget, these groups are a great way to get inspiration and advice. See how others have used off-the-shelf products to create custom-look and custom-fit furniture in their homes.
They are private groups on Facebook, but simple to join. On that note, it’s worth seeking out private rather than public groups, because some unlocked home design pages have become victims of their own popularity, cluttered with spam posts.
TECH HELP
Techsupport
Technology is as much a part of making a home run smoothly as the plumbing these days. So, if turning it off and on again isn’t cutting it, heading online is probably the obvious solution for tech issues.
This forum initially started on Reddit, but the page has also set up a new chat on the gamers’ channel of choice, Discord. Users are knowledgeable, helpful and nearly always online.
