News Australia’s news site news.com.au and state and community publications, including The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, The Courier-Mail and The Advertiser, have united to launch ‘The Home Front’, an editorially led national housing affordability campaign in partnership with CommBank.
The multi-platform campaign is informed by findings from the National Housing Affordability Project research conducted by The Growth Distillery in partnership with SEC Newgate Research, providing a national snapshot of how housing pressures are reshaping Australians’ attitudes, aspirations, mobility and lives.
The research highlights a growing “hope gap” across the country: 53 per cent of non-homeowners want to buy their first home, but only 14 per cent believe it will happen anytime soon; over half (51 per cent) of aspiring first-home buyers have surrendered hope of owning property; and 68 per cent of current renters believe they will be renting for the rest of their lives, while 72 per cent see a widening class divide between property owners and non-owners.
Across news.com.au and state and community mastheads, the campaign will examine: negative gearing, capital gains tax, interest rates, first-home buyer schemes, stamp duty and land tax; parents postponing retirement to help children enter the market; changing buyer behaviours among younger generations; alternative pathways including prefabricated and modular housing, downsizing, guarantor options and ways to increase housing supply.
“Australia’s housing challenge needs practical solutions and sustained collaboration across governments, industries and communities. We’re proud to partner with News Australia to bring together research, ideas and examples of action that can help lift housing supply. We want to be a constructive participant in the conversation, helping advance solutions, sharing what’s working and connecting Australians with practical information and support,” CommBank group executive of marketing and corporate affairs, Monique Macleod.
“The Home Front campaign shows how News Australia can work with a partner like CommBank to engage audiences around a real national issue in a way that is credible, useful and solutions-focused. It brings together the reach of our network, trusted journalism and a shared ambition to help Australians better understand the housing challenge and the pathways forward,” said News Australia chief revenue officer, Lou Barrett.
The Daily Telegraph editor, Ben English, added: “The housing crisis is the defining economic challenge of our time. And if we fail to solve it, the consequences will reverberate beyond the economy, across our communities, institutions and our broader political system. The prospects of every generation are at stake.
“Our state and community coverage will examine the core problems – from first-home buyers and retirees to the disproportionate impact on women – before delivering solutions that could make a tangible difference. We will continue to interrogate every element of the crisis and hold key decision-makers accountable. Ultimately, we will ensure our readers have the knowledge and confidence to seek advice and take action.”
News.com.au editor, Kerry Warren, commented: “Our research reveals the true extent of Australia’s housing pressure and how it affects all Australians, not just those looking to get on the ladder. Through news.com.au, our editorial will highlight who is being excluded, from those who feel shut out by structural forces to pragmatic realists unwilling to make extreme sacrifices. But there are clear solutions and appetite for action, and there is still hope for Aussies to achieve the great Australian dream.”
The Home Front will feature promotion across digital, print and social channels throughout the campaign.
