People Purpose Place views in review
We have had the great pleasure and privilege to meet with many of these housing leaders, and there was much anticipation of the forum and proposed topic.
Dr Cameron Murray’s most recent book is one of our reference books.
Jackson Hills holds a strategic role in the Q Shelter
The Q Shelter organisation ably supports our community housing providers.
Natalie Rayment is a director of Wolter Consulting Group.
Among other things the Wolter Consulting Group assist with long term strategic planning for the future direction of local councils. Natalie is also a keen advocate for YIMBY.
For a discussion that has been very capably hosted, moderated and applying the “Brisbane Rule” for civil discussion. Brisbane Dialogues will certainly have my attention for any future events.
As an attendee I was really looking forward to a discussion of the key question “What do we want to achieve?”
This strikes me as a really helpful starting point and from a clarity about our intentions we can then apply our:-
- Developed first world economy
- Highly educated workforce
- Historical understanding of 11 million dwellings
- Community expectations
to actually deliver against the identified problem.
While much of the discussion was collaborative and well intentioned I am unsure that this question was really clarified into the necessary stark reality.
Housing what do we want?
While it seems quite a simple question my first thought is that there are many responses depending on where our current personal situation. As former NSW Premier is famously quoted as advising Paul Keating
‘Always put your money on self-interest, son. He’s the best horse in the race; always a trier.’
Former NSW Premier Jack Lang
The vast majority of guest were of a mature “late youth” demographic.
If you have lived through a period of continual property value growth and have amassed a personal wealth in property then ….
the status quo may look quite attractive.
- you may have the capacity to assist family into the property market
- you may believe in the establishment of a career and building wealth as the sensible path
- you may not be aware yet of the Government impending financial challenge when this cohort doubles and we have two taxpayers to find each retiree rather than the 7 when the pension and superannuation systems were first imagined
For the “8” guest in the room experiencing a first hand housing crisis
You have likely started your careers without a free education and with your first full time employment have already incurred a significant HECS debt.
- you may not believe that property ownership is even possible
- you may expect to continue to rent all of your life including housing, books, music, clothes, sex and many of the essentials of life
- the idea of a single career seems quite odd and unlikely with higher priorities than career building a gig economy allows for adaption and travel convenience
With these differences within our community, how is consensus even possible?
Our view is that the necessary elements are still common to almost everyone regardless of their current life stage or circumstances.
- a place or private secure refuge
- a place for communion with friends and family
- some connection to nature
- the possibility of getting your hands into the soil gardening or just being connected to nature
- a place for revelry where telling stories (some might even be true) around the hearth
It strikes us that we are not all that different in our humanity, and in this discussion, we could do very well to keep that in mind.
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