The Elephant In The Room Property Podcast | Inside Australian Real Estate

Australia's housing crisis is usually framed as a simple supply problem: build more homes, increase density, and affordability will improve. But what if we've been asking the wrong question all along?In this episode, Ross Elliott joins Veronica and Chris to challenge some of the biggest assumptions underpinning Australian housing policy. From the belief that everyone works in a CBD to the idea that high-density housing is automatically cheaper, Ross argues that many of the planning principles guiding our cities are decades out of date.Instead of focusing solely on housing supply, he believes we should be asking whether we're creating places where people can actually live, work, and thrive.Together, they explore why Australia's population growth continues to concentrate in a handful of capital cities, why regional centres have been overlooked, and how decades of planning decisions have contributed to today's affordability challenges. They also unpack the unintended consequences of density-led housing strategies, infrastructure bottlenecks, planning delays, and whether recent government policies will actually increase housing supply or simply drive costs even higher.This conversation goes beyond property and politics to tackle a bigger question: what should Australian cities look like in the future? Whether you're a homeowner, investor, policymaker, or simply concerned about housing affordability, this episode offers a fresh perspective on one of the country's most important challenges.Episode Highlights02:07 – The Biggest Myth in Australian City Planning09:52 – Why Australia Needs More Than Capital Cities15:19 – The Problem With Building Up Instead of Out17:45 – Homes First, Infrastructure Later?19:28 – What Australia's Best Communities Have in Common22:44 – Are Investors Really to Blame?27:09 – The Planning Bottleneck Nobody Talks About34:11 – Running Out of Land? Not So Fast43:16 – Brisbane's Growth Challenge Is Just Beginning47:29 – The Hidden Cost of Apartment Living49:48 – How Dumbo Became One of New York's Best Precincts51:14 – What Great Cities Can Teach Australia55:13 – Why the Best Cities Happen by AccidentAbout the GuestRoss Elliott is one of Australia's leading voices on urban development, housing policy, and city planning. With almost four decades of experience spanning research, construction, development, infrastructure, and public policy, he has worked at the intersection of the industries that shape how Australian communities are built and governed.Ross is widely recognised for his contributions to urban policy and place-making, including his role as Chair of Brisbane's Better Suburbs Initiative, where he has helped drive discussions around suburban renewal, community development, and long-term city planning. Throughout his career, he has advised industry and government stakeholders on housing, infrastructure, population growth, and economic development.His work focuses on understanding how cities evolve and what is required to create communities that are not only affordable but functional, connected, and resilient. Ross brings a rare systems-level perspective to the housing conversation, examining the relationship between planning, infrastructure, jobs, demographics, and housing outcomes.Connect with RossLinkedIn | Ross ElliottLinkedIn | Brisbane City CouncilWebsite | Brisbane City CouncilResourcesVisit our website: https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.auIf 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.auLooking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? https://www.gooddeeds.com.auWork with Veronica: https://www.veronicamorgan.com.auLooking for a Mortgage Broker? alcove.com.auWork with Chris: chrisbates@alcove.com.auEnjoyed 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-podcastSubscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast/id1384822719Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3r0nnJrLUu3t1GpO7X3j6EIf you enjoyed today’s podcast, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the show! There’s more to come, so we hope to have you along with us on this journey!See you on the inside,Veronica & Chris

NSW has moved fast to reform its planning system, promising to unlock housing supply through sweeping state-led controls. But zoning uplift alone doesn’t build homes. In this episode, we ask the harder question many in property are thinking but few say out loud: is the system genuinely delivering housing, or quietly choking supply through feasibility constraints, delays, and unintended consequences?Joining us is James Oldknow, Special Counsel at Mills Oakley, who works daily at the sharp end of planning approvals, appeals, and the NSW Land & Environment Court. James breaks down why Transport Oriented Development (TOD) has produced little real-world uptake, while the Low-to-Mid Rise (LMR) policy is driving a surge of applications—particularly in Sydney’s most expensive, tightly held suburbs.We unpack how affordable housing incentives are being used to make projects stack up, why premium locations like Mosman, Waverley, and Woollahra are seeing the most change, and how the new Housing Delivery Authority is fast-tracking large projects while sidelining local controls. Along the way, we tackle design quality, heritage, infrastructure strain, and the emotional toll these changes are having on established communities.For investors, homeowners, and anyone exposed to property in NSW, this episode is a reality check. And if you’re wondering what could be coming in other states, this could be the canary in the coalmine. The reforms aren’t a silver bullet—but they are already reshaping values, neighbourhoods, and long-term decisions for those paying attention.Episode Highlights00:00 — Introduction to NSW Planning System01:33 — Meet the Expert: James Oldknow04:41 — Challenges in TOD Applications08:33 — LMR Policy and Its Impact10:52 — Affordable Housing and Feasibility16:42 — Community Concerns and Planning Rigors26:53 — Development Typologies Across New South Wales28:59 — Concerns About Centralized Authority30:43 — Affordable Housing and Contribution Funds32:17 — Infrastructure and Traffic Concerns34:33 — Heritage and Environmental Considerations43:29 — Navigating Development Consents and Modifications45:29 — Final Thoughts and AdviceAbout the GuestJames Oldknow is Special Counsel in Mills Oakley’s Planning and Environment team, specialising in planning and development law across New South Wales. He advises landowners and developers on projects of all sizes and regularly appears before councils, planning panels, and the NSW Land & Environment Court.Working daily within the approvals and appeals system, James sees firsthand where projects stall, why others succeed, and how state policies like LMR, TOD, and the Housing Delivery Authority operate in practice—not theory. His perspective is grounded in real projects, real constraints, and real outcomes, making him uniquely placed to cut through the policy noise and explain what NSW’s planning reforms are actually delivering on the ground.Connect with JamesJames’ LinkedInMills Oakley WebsiteMills Oakley LinkedInResourcesVisit our website: https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.auIf 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.auLooking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? https://www.gooddeeds.com.auWork with Veronica: https://www.veronicamorgan.com.auLooking for a Mortgage Broker? alcove.com.auWork with Chris: chrisbates@alcove.com.auEnjoyed 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-podcastSubscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast/id1384822719Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3r0nnJrLUu3t1GpO7X3j6E If you enjoyed today’s podcast, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the show! There’s more to come, so we hope to have you along with us on this journey!See you on the inside,Veronica & Chris

Multi-generational living is becoming a more common response to the uncomfortable realities facing ageing parents and their adult children.With traditional aged-care pathways increasingly expensive, emotionally fraught, and often poorly understood, families are weighing up alternatives — staying at home, moving into residential care, or reshaping the family home through shared living arrangements and granny flats.In this episode, we look under the hood of multi-generational living to explore what’s actually involved. From legal ownership and estate outcomes to pension eligibility, Centrelink rules, and family dynamics, we unpack the decisions families are making — and the risks they often don’t see until they’re already committed.Our guest, Adriana Care, is Managing Partner at Coutts Legal and works at the coalface with families navigating these choices under pressure. She’s seeing a clear shift among the so-called sandwich generation toward property-based solutions for ageing parents — raising complex questions around money, fairness, control, and what can go wrong when good intentions meet poor planning.This episode isn’t about whether multi-generational living is right or wrong. It’s about understanding the legal, financial, and practical realities behind these decisions before they become permanent.Episode Highlights01:18 — Meet Adriana Care of Coutts Legal02:08 — Is Aged Care Failing Modern Families?03:47 — The Legal and Financial Risks Families Miss05:25 — Why Families Choose Multi-Generational Living15:31 — Retirement Living vs Staying at Home20:50 — How Retirement Village Contracts Really Work25:40 — What to Know Before Making a Family Move28:10 — Inside Retirement Village Agreements28:55 — Disclosure Documents Explained29:40 — Rules and Regulations That Catch Families Out30:52 — How Family Dynamics Shape Care Decisions32:21 — Financial Elder Abuse: Legal Warning Signs35:29 — Binding Financial Agreements Explained37:46 — Pensions, Gifting, and Centrelink Rules40:21 — Why Downsizing Isn’t Always the Answer44:02 — Granny Flat Arrangements: Legal Traps49:42 — A Real Case That Shows What Can Go WrongAbout the GuestAdriana Care is the Managing Partner at Coutts Legal, where she specialises in aged care and elder law. She works closely with families navigating some of the most complex and emotionally charged decisions around ageing, care, and family living arrangements.Adriana advises clients on the legal and financial realities of home care, residential aged care, granny flats, and multi-generational living, with particular expertise in Centrelink rules, pension eligibility, and intergenerational asset arrangements. Working at the coalface, she sees first-hand how well-intentioned plans can unravel without clear structures, proper advice, and early conversations — especially for the sandwich generation balancing parents, children, and property decisions at the same time.Connect with AdrianaLinkedInCoutts Lawyers (Instagram)ResourcesVisit our website: https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.auIf 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.auLooking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? https://www.gooddeeds.com.auWork with Veronica: https://www.veronicamorgan.com.auLooking for a Mortgage Broker? alcove.com.auWork with Chris: chrisbates@alcove.com.auEnjoyed 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-podcastSubscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast/id1384822719Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3r0nnJrLUu3t1GpO7X3j6E If you enjoyed today’s podcast, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the show! There’s more to come, so we hope to have you along with us on this journey!See you on the inside,Veronica & Chris

Australia’s housing debate is crowded with loud opinions — but very little demographic reality.In this episode, we unpack what Australia’s population shifts are actually telling us about housing demand, cities, and economic pressure points, and why many of today’s dominant narratives fall apart when viewed through data.Demographer Simon Kuestenmacher joins Veronica and Chris to challenge the assumptions shaping housing policy, migration debates, and affordability discussions. From international students and skilled migration to household formation and labour shortages, Simon explains how population forces — not headlines — are driving long-term outcomes across property and the broader economy.The conversation explores why cutting migration won’t automatically ease housing stress, why median house prices are a misleading metric in a structurally unequal market, and why Australia’s system is quietly designed to support rising asset prices. Along the way, Simon reframes inflation, workforce shortages, and urban planning through a demographic lens that most investors and policymakers ignore.This episode is essential listening for anyone who wants to understand underlying demand, not just surface-level market movements. If you’re a property investor, owner, or decision-maker trying to make sense of housing, cities, and economic pressure in Australia, this conversation will sharpen how you think about the next decade.Episode Highlights00:00 – What Demographics Say About Housing Demand01:12 – Why Population Data Beats Property Headlines01:51 – The Migration Debate: Benefits and Misunderstandings02:47 – International Students: Cash Cows or Future Workforce?06:32 – Why Australia’s Skills Shortage Is Structural13:44 – The Fiscal Reality Behind High Migration Numbers17:36 – How Migration Policy Could Actually Be Fixed22:03 – Why Migration Isn’t the Real Cause of High Prices28:57 – The Integration Challenge for International Students31:25 – Why Australia’s Economic Model Still Works33:43 – Density, Sprawl, and the Real Cost of Bad Planning45:01 – AI Will Push Workers Back Into Offices48:34 – Why Demographics Point to Stickier Inflation50:04 – Why Median House Prices Are a Misleading Metric52:11 – The Big Demographic Blind Spots Investors MissAbout the GuestSimon Kuestenmacher is a demographer and co-founder of The Demographics Group, where he specialises in population change, migration, generational trends, and how these forces shape housing, infrastructure, and economic outcomes. His work is widely used by governments, planners, and businesses grappling with long-term structural change rather than short-term noise.Simon is a regular media commentator, a columnist for The Australian and The New Daily, and host of the Demographics Decoded podcast. He is also the author of several books on maps and data and runs one of the world’s largest social media platforms dedicated to demographic insights, reaching millions each month.Known for translating complex population data into practical insight, Simon brings clarity to some of Australia’s most emotionally charged debates — including housing affordability, migration policy, and the future of work.Connect with SimonThe Demographics Group (website)LinkedInInstagramXResourcesVisit our website: https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.auIf 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.auLooking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? https://www.gooddeeds.com.auWork with Veronica: https://www.veronicamorgan.com.auLooking for a Mortgage Broker? alcove.com.auWork with Chris: chrisbates@alcove.com.auEnjoyed 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-podcastSubscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast/id1384822719Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3r0nnJrLUu3t1GpO7X3j6E If you enjoyed today’s podcast, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the show! There’s more to come, so we hope to have you along with us on this journey!See you on the inside,Veronica & Chris

Australian property prices are often treated as a national scoreboard—up means success, down means failure.But what if that assumption is wrong? In this episode, we interrogate one of the most polarising ideas in housing today: that Australia’s obsession with ever-rising property prices is doing more harm than good.Joining Veronica and Chris is Adam Schwab, founder of Luxury Escapes and a sharp, outspoken commentator on economics, inflation, and corporate behaviour. Coming from outside the property industry, Adam brings a contrarian lens to housing—questioning whether property has become an unproductive asset, how easy credit and government incentives have distorted prices, and why policies like 5% deposit schemes may be helping vendors more than buyers.The conversation digs deep into rental yields versus capital growth, the role of the RBA in inflating asset prices, and why high house prices don’t actually benefit most owner-occupiers. Adam challenges the idea that owning property equals success, arguing that Australia’s fixation on housing is crowding out productive investment, innovation, and long-term economic resilience.This is a robust, sometimes uncomfortable discussion about incentives, risk, and who really wins when property prices keep climbing. If you care about affordability, fairness, and the future of Australia’s economy — not just short-term price movements—this episode will force you to rethink what “good” housing policy actually looks like.Episode Highlights00:00 — Introduction to the Episode and Guest00:56 — Adam Schwab's Contrarian Views on Property01:37 — Debating Property Prices and Investment02:49 — Renting vs. Buying: A Financial Analysis05:43 — The Impact of High Property Prices on Society19:02 — Monetary Policy and Housing Market26:50 — Reverse Mortgages and Their Implications27:32 — The 40-50 Year Loan Debate28:31 — Government Policies and Housing Market29:09 — Economic Logic vs. Political Motives29:33 — Risks of New Property Incentives31:22 — Banking System and Housing Bubble33:41 — Immigration and Housing Affordability35:28 — Leveraging and Property Investment42:20 — Comparing Property to Other Investments47:53 — Global Talent and Property Prices49:51 — Concluding Thoughts on Property MarketAbout the GuestAdam Schwab is the co-founder of Luxury Escapes, one of Australia’s most successful global travel businesses, which he helped scale into a billion-dollar brand. Beyond entrepreneurship, Adam has built a parallel career as a respected financial journalist and commentator, known for his sharp critiques of corporate behaviour, economic policy, and market incentives.He is also the co-host of The Contrarians podcast, where he regularly challenges mainstream narratives on markets, inflation, and government intervention. Unafraid to question sacred cows — including Australian property — Adam brings an outsider’s perspective grounded in economic fundamentals rather than industry orthodoxy.In this episode, Adam applies that contrarian mindset to housing, offering candid insights into why Australia’s property system rewards asset inflation over productivity, how easy credit fuels bubbles, and why policy settings may be entrenching inequality rather than solving it.Connect with AdamAdam’s LinkedInAdam’s InstagramLuxury Escape's WebsiteLuxury Escape’s FacebookLuxury Escape’s InstagramLuxury Escape’s YouTubeLuxury Escape’s TikTokResourcesVisit our website: https://www.theelephantintheroom.com.auIf 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.auLooking for a Sydney Buyers Agent? https://www.gooddeeds.com.auWork with Veronica: https://www.veronicamorgan.com.auLooking for a Mortgage Broker? alcove.com.auWork with Chris: chrisbates@alcove.com.auEnjoyed 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-podcastSubscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast/id1384822719Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3r0nnJrLUu3t1GpO7X3j6E If you enjoyed today’s podcast, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the show! There’s more to come, so we hope to have you along with us on this journey!See you on the inside,Veronica & Chris