AMPLIFY

AMPLIFY Non-Executive Director and former QLD Minister Kate Jones joined George Hasanakos & Evan Schwarten on the In The Know Podcast to discuss why the upcoming federal budget is a critical moment for housing reform — and for younger Australians.   Watch or listen to the full podcast - links in the comments. 

My wish for next week’s budget? That we get past the winners and losers and focus on how well this budget positions Australia for the future. Every budget gets reduced to what it means for individual households. Who gains, who loses and by how much. Of course that matters to people. But it crowds out the more important question. Does this budget make the country better equipped to deal with the challenges in front of us? A budget is the clearest statement a government makes about its priorities. Not what it says it cares about but what it actually funds, reforms, and builds the machinery to deliver. On housing, tax reform is coming and it’s welcome. AMPLIFY’s research has consistently shown that the community is ready for it. But tax reform doesn’t build homes, train workers, or fix a safety net that has been eroding for decades. Those require a different kind of commitment. The housing crisis is a system problem and it needs a response that treats it like one. 18,000 Australians told us this. When we gave them evidence and time to work through it, they didn’t land on one reform. Not because they couldn’t prioritise but because they understood that the parts of this crisis reinforce each other. What I want to see on May 12 is a budget that reflects that kind of thinking. Not just on housing but across the board. Are we building the systems, workforce, and infrastructure this country will need in ten years? Or are we still focused on the short term? That’s what I, and the majority of Australians, want to see. A budget that restores the promise to future generations.

Australians are ready for ambitious housing reform. Our housing platform was built alongside more than 18,000 Australians and the message is clear: treat housing like the crisis it is. As global conflicts make houses harder and more expensive to build, governments at all levels should be pulling every lever they can to solve the crisis - before its too late. 

“Every Australian knows we have a housing problem. And neither side of politics has done enough.” Former Queensland Minister and AMPLIFY board member Kate Jones doesn’t pull punches in today’s op-ed in The Courier-Mail. She’s right. Over 18 months, 18,000 Australians told us they’re ready for housing reform. Both major parties now have a mandate to act, and a platform to act on. The question is whether they will. Read Kate’s piece and explore our housing policy platform via the links in the comments. What’s the one housing reform you’d prioritise?

Two thirds of Australians want housing treated as a national emergency. I worked in the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit. I’ve been inside government during a genuine crisis response. From my experience there is a very big difference between calling something a crisis and responding like it is one. There is a glimmer of it in the odd jurisdiction but there isn’t a coherent national plan that shows the path to better future. In a real delivery-focussed, crisis response, you see a culture of urgency, accountability, and a relentless focus. What does that look like in action? Regular reporting, cross-portfolio coordination, decisions made in days rather than months, and visible accountability to the public. Leadership chairs regular stocktakes that tests action across portfolios and jurisdictions, removing barriers to progress as they arise. The system mobilises because it is operating around a clear and prioritised shared purpose. Housing is not yet being run this way (although bringing together parts of the housing portfolio into Treasury was a good start). We have a national target of 1.2 million homes. AMPLIFY ’s latest analysis suggests we’re only on track to deliver 873,000, a shortfall of 327,000. But the target itself isn’t disaggregated. There is no public accounting of who is responsible for building what, where, and by when. A target without that is an aspiration, not a plan. What concerns me more is that building homes doesn’t automatically rebuild trust. Victoria is on track to deliver 88 per cent of its housing target. Yet only 33 per cent of Victorians are satisfied. Output without transparency and community engagement doesn’t close the gap. AMPLIFY’s housing platform calls for a housing delivery unit in PM&C, not the housing portfolio, because housing sits across treasury, skills, immigration, industry, infrastructure, and federal/state relations. If it sits in one portfolio, it lacks the authority to coordinate across all of them. None of this requires new legislation. It requires a decision to respond in a way that demonstrates that solving the housing crisis is a priority for government as a whole.

Last week, something important happened in Melbourne.    We brought together community members, advocates, industry leaders, experts and decision makers into one room to make the case that fixing housing isn't just possible, it's what Australians are calling for.   AMPLIFY community members Lester, Jessie and Belinda joined Chief Policy & Research Officer Rory Gallagher on a panel to discuss what the housing crisis looks like in their neighbourhoods and what they believe the solutions are. For some, it's building better rather than simply building more. For others, it's unlocking the power of modern methods of construction. One thing our platform makes clear is that there's no single silver bullet, but our 10 proposed solutions are a strong place to start.   Thank you to everyone who joined us on the night. The energy, optimism, and collective brainpower in that room to solve this crisis was genuinely palpable.

18 months ago, we set out to build a housing policy platform informed by more Australians than ever before.    The ideas themselves aren't new. They've been shaped by incredible organisations and experts over many years. What's different is the community behind them. When people are given the evidence and the chance to deliberate, they find common ground across what are often assumed to be deep divides: Coalition voters and Labor voters, homeowners and renters, retirees and young people saving for their first home.   The result? Four shifts and ten reforms, all with strong community backing.   The solutions exist and the community mandate is clear. What's needed now is the political will to act.

On Tuesday I wrote about trust being rebuilt when government reliably responds to what citizens want. Today AMPLIFY is releasing the specifics. Our housing policy platform was built by 18,000 Australians over 18 months. It’s the largest community engagement on housing policy ever done in this country. 10 reforms across supply, tax, renters’ protections, and delivery. But I want to talk about what we learned about people, not just what they recommended. We gave 100 randomly selected Australians access to evidence, experts, and the time to properly deliberate. Support for higher housing density went from 67 per cent to 94 per cent. Nearly everyone who started out opposed changed their mind. Investor support for stronger renter protections went from 39 per cent to 67 per cent. Coalition voter support for tax reform rose 15 percentage points. These are people going against their own perceived interests after sitting with the evidence and testing their thinking. That doesn’t happen in focus groups or polling. It happens when you actually trust people to wrestle with hard trade-offs. We have a system that consistently underestimates the public. When Australians are given the evidence, they support reform that is bolder than the political conversation assumes. Every time. Across demographics, housing situations, and political affiliations. Solving Australia’s Housing Crisis: A promise broken. A plan to rebuild it. 10 reforms. Built by citizens, backed by evidence, ready to act on. Find out more at 🔗in comments.

When facing a nation-wide housing crisis, what do Australians think we should do?    Today, we have the answer. They want bold action. They want it now. And they're well ahead of the political conversation.    AMPLIFY's housing policy platform built by 18,000 Australians sets out what that change looks like. More than one million new homes and 536,000 new first homeowners over the next decade.    The solutions exist. The community mandate exists. What we need now is the political will to act. Read the platform via the link in comments.

Headline: ⏰ ONE WEEK TO GO – and the room is filling fast The countdown is on. 🏗️ On Tuesday 29 April, Prefab Council Australia (PCA) will bring together an extraordinary lineup for “Building Faster, Smarter: Prefab & Partnerships to Solve the Housing Crisis” – an evening purposely timed to coincide with Sydney Build Expo 2026. 🎤 Opening Keynote: The Hon. Rose Jackson MLC – NSW Minister for Housing and Homelessness 🎙️ Moderator: Shauna Hurley – urban affairs commentator 👥 Panelists: Georgina Harrisson – AMPLIFY Haico Schepers – Arup Hugh Hartigan – Hartigan & Associates Paulo Macchia FRAIA – Government Architect NSW Waco Tao 陶醉 – Prefab Council Australia (PCA) The room is filling up quickly. Seats are strictly limited for this free, industry‑only event – and we're expecting a full house. If you're in Sydney next Tuesday evening, don't miss this opportunity to engage with government, industry leaders, and peers over cocktails and canapés. 👉 Register now (free): https://lnkd.in/gWctYeJu Let's pack the room and show what a united, forward‑looking prefab sector can achieve. See you there. 🚀 #MMC #Prefab #HousingCrisis #SydneyBuildExpo #Arup #PrefabCouncilAustralia #PowerHouseHomes #FreeIndustryEvent #OneWeekToGo #ShaunaHurley #RoseJackson #Networking