We seem to have a few new members who haven't realised yet that personal attacks are not appropriate in this forum. I haven't had to ban anyone yet, but that's only because so far everyone has eventually taken the hint....

Apparently so.

The government still hasn't learnt it's lesson on subsidies. You just can't keep prices down. The more you subsidise something, the higher the price goes.

The trend towards inner city living is a good sign - less urban sprawl, less traffic congestion etc. It also contradicts the treasurer's claim. Inner city areas are the ones expreiencing the greatest price hike, yet people are nom moving in faster than they are leaving for the first time in decades.

Govt 'to help youth into housing market'

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Govt-to-help-youth-into-housing-market/2007/11/12/1194766543474.html

Treasurer Peter Costello says a re-elected coalition government would help more young people enter the housing market.

Measures designed to improve housing affordability are expected to be announced during the coalition's official election campaign launch in Brisbane.

"Don't forget we are the government that introduced the first-home owners grant of $7,000 which has now gone to one million new home buyers."

The treasurer says housing supply issues also need to be addressed.

---

Inner cities sucking in residents: study

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Inner-cities-sucking-in-residents-study/2007/11/12/1194766518284.html

Australians are forsaking the suburban backyard for an inner-city lifestyle in record numbers, a population study has found.

The report says under-40s and empty-nest baby boomers are reversing years of growth in the suburbs by moving downtown in the biggest cities.

It is the first time in the KPMG Population Report's 18-year history that the number of people moving to be closer to the CBD has rivalled those heading to suburban-growth corridors.

"There is no greater measure of how Australian values have shifted in a single generation than in the numbers that track the rise of downtown living," author Bernard Salt said.

"The central core of our largest cities is emerging as a growth area that now competes with the outer suburbs and with parts of the beach as the preferred destination for Australians on the move."

---

Home saving scheme gets cabinet approval

http://news.smh.com.au/home-saving-scheme-gets-cabinet-approval/20080204-1q0b.html

People saving for a deposit on their first home are to be given a helping hand by the federal government, with tax concessions worth $850 million over the next four years.

First home saver accounts were given the nod by federal cabinet on Monday and will be implemented from July 1 this year.