# What’s Really Driving the Crisis? Eliza Owen Cuts Through the Noise Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast-inside-australian-real-estate-1140810/what-s-really-driving-the-crisis-eliza-owen-cuts-through-the-noise Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast-inside-australian-real-estate-1140810/what-s-really-driving-the-crisis-eliza-owen-cuts-through-the-noise.md Podcast: [The Elephant In The Room Property Podcast | Inside Australian Real Estate](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast-inside-australian-real-estate-1140810) Published: 2025-12-14T20:00:00+00:00 Episode link: http://www.theelephantintheroom.com.au/ Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/390b15b9-62b5-4ce3-95fe-82612f768930.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast-inside-australian-real-estate-1140810/episodes/what-s-really-driving-the-crisis-eliza-owen-cuts-through-the-noise Duration seconds: 2651 ## Resource Australia’s housing market is creaking under pressure — record-low affordability, rising lower-end prices, and policies that keep boosting demand instead of easing it. In this episode, Cotality’s Head of Research Eliza Owen helps us zoom out and make sense of the contradictions shaping today’s market. We unpack why “years to save a 20% deposit” is the wrong metric, why income — not deposits — is the real barrier, and how the 5% deposit scheme pushes prices up by funnelling demand under strict caps. Eliza also breaks down the mismatch between the homes we build and how Australians actually live, alongside the collapse in turnover rates that concentrates buying power among wealthier households. If you want a clear, data-led look at what’s really driving the crisis — and why prices keep rising even as affordability falls apart — this conversation cuts through the noise. Episode Highlights 00:00 — Introduction and Overview of Australia's Housing Market 02:18 — Government Incentives and Their Impact 04:17 — Challenges in Housing Affordability 10:16 — Policy Measures and Their Effects 12:18 — Affordability and Market Trends 17:55 — Turnover Rates and Market Stability 22:20 — The Case for Replacing Stamp Duty with Land Tax 25:28 — Mismatch in Housing Supply and Demand 28:19 — Challenges in the Rental Market 31:38 — Eliza's Departure and Reflections 34:42 — Global Perspectives on Housing Markets 38:51 — Affordability Metrics and Policy 42:33 — Underquoting and Auction Dynamics 43:36 — Conclusion and Listener Engagement About the Guest Eliza Owen is the Head of Research at Cotality (formerly CoreLogic), where she leads national market intelligence and economic analysis across Australia’s property sector. Appointed in 2020, she brings more than a decade of expertise in affordabi… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast-inside-australian-real-estate-1140810/episodes/what-s-really-driving-the-crisis-eliza-owen-cuts-through-the-noise/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-elephant-in-the-room-property-podcast-inside-australian-real-estate-1140810/what-s-really-driving-the-crisis-eliza-owen-cuts-through-the-noise.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.