Many young Australians have been hard hit by the first big outbreak of inflation in a generation. At the same time, the post-pandemic immigration increase has exposed decades of poor housing policy at all three levels of government. The housing shortage has pushed up rents, made it harder for first home buyers to get a foot on the property ladder, and made intergenerational fairness a big political issue.

The Greens have attempted to exploit the situation by pushing populist and counterproductive rent caps and curbs on negative gearing to attract younger voters away from Labor. Militant campaigning on the Gaza war appears to have cost the Greens’ public support but the housing debate continues to have a major influence over federal politics before next year’s federal election.