Former Macquarie Group chief executive Nicholas Moore says residents and councils in inner-Sydney suburbs such as harbourside Mosman, where he lives, need to accept higher-density apartments to make housing affordable and overcome the stagnation in living standards for younger generations.

Speaking out for the first time on broad public policy issues as chairman of the classical liberal Centre for Independent Studies research think tank, Mr Moore also called for an end to teaching “fads” that have contributed to a plunge in Australia’s school education results in maths and English.