Nicole Gurran

July 2, 2026

Can tighter rules on short‑stay rentals help the long‑term market?

Caitlin Buckle, UNSW ; Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney, and Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney

There are some promising results for local residents from different states’ approaches.

June 11, 2025

Is regulation really to blame for the housing affordability crisis?

Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney and Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney

The government wants to cut red tape to improve housing supply. But homes will only become more affordable if other changes are also adopted, including tax reform.

May 9, 2024

Our cities are widening the divide between the well‑off and the rest. How can we turn this damaging trend around?

Somwrita Sarkar, University of Sydney; Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney, and Rashi Shrivastava, University of Sydney

Sydney emerges as the most segregated of our biggest capital cities, and the trend will continue without broad changes in government policy and investment.

September 22, 2023

Will taxing short stays boost long‑term rental supply? Other policies would achieve more

Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney and Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney

Other states may well follow Victoria’s lead, but the 7.5% levy is likely to have a very modest impact on rental housing supply. There’s much more governments could do.

March 7, 2023

Australia has taken a ‘light touch’ with Airbnb. Could stronger regulations ease the housing crisis?

Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney and Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney

Australia is very ‘light touch’ when it comes to regulating Airbnb. The current housing crisis demands a new approach, informed by overseas success stories.

October 13, 2022

The market has failed to give Australians affordable housing, so don’t expect it to solve the crisis

Hal Pawson, UNSW ; Bill Randolph, UNSW ; Chris Leishman, University of South Australia; Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney; Peter Mares, Monash University; Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney, and Vivienne Milligan, UNSW

While the Productivity Commission’s critique of the national housing agreement is justified, its faith in the market is not. The Albanese government is right to invest in building social housing.

December 1, 2020

What did COVID do to rental markets? Rents fell as owners switched from Airbnb

Caitlin Buckle, University of Sydney; Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney; Patrick Harris, UNSW ; Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney; Rashi Shrivastava, University of Sydney, and Tess Lea, University of Sydney

Analysis of online listings on common online platforms shows even modest reductions in Airbnb listings increased supply of longer-term rentals. The result was lower local rents.

March 24, 2020

Homelessness and overcrowding expose us all to coronavirus. Here’s what we can do to stop the spread

Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney; Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney, and Tess Lea, University of Sydney

Improving the housing conditions of the most marginalised people among us is an important biosecurity measure for the whole community.

April 29, 2019

Informal and illegal housing on the rise as our cities fail to offer affordable places to live

Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney; Madeleine Pill, University of Sydney, and Sophia Maalsen, University of Sydney

With Australian city rents too high for low-income earners, increasing numbers are forced to share houses or rooms or to live in options like ‘beds in sheds’ and other illegal dwellings.

April 9, 2018

England expects 40% of new housing developments will be affordable, why can’t Australia?

Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney and Catherine Gilbert, University of Sydney

Inclusionary planning schemes can reduce land costs and ensure that affordable homes are well located near jobs and services.

March 14, 2018

Affordable housing policy failure still being fuelled by flawed analysis

Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney; Bill Randolph, UNSW ; Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney; Rachel Ong ViforJ, Curtin University, and Steven Rowley, Curtin University

The clichés about housing supply and regulatory restraints are distractions from the need to focus on expanding the affordable housing sector to directly meet the needs of low-income households.

February 12, 2018

Key workers like nurses and teachers are being squeezed out of Sydney. This is what we can do about it

Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney; Catherine Gilbert, University of Sydney; Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney, and Yuting Zhang, University of Sydney

People on moderate incomes, including police and emergency workers, have been forced to seek housing on the city fringes, far from their places of work. But there are ways to reverse this trend.

August 17, 2017

Speaking with: Nicole Gurran on Airbnb and its impact on cities

Dallas Rogers, University of Sydney

Dallas Rogers speaks with Nicole Gurran about the rise of AirBnb and what the limited data publicly available can tell us about how it's blurring the line between residential property and tourism.

April 20, 2017

Australian governments are treading lightly around Airbnb

Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney and Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney

Without proper planning, legalising Airbnb may make housing even more unavailable and unaffordable in high-demand suburbs.

March 7, 2017

Australia’s almost a world leader in home building, so that isn’t a fix for affordability

Steven Rowley, Curtin University; Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney, and Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney

The housing supply solution our leaders are advocating will only work if affordability is simply a problem of supply. In fact, Australia is almost a world leader in rates of new housing production.

February 13, 2017

Why housing supply shouldn’t be the only policy tool politicians cling to

Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney and Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney

To tout new housing production as the only solution to rising house prices, without examining the question of demand, is an ineffective policy position.

October 24, 2016

Solutions beyond supply to the housing affordability problem

John Daley, Grattan Institute; Joe Hurley, RMIT University; Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney; Robin Goodman, RMIT University, and Steven Rowley, Curtin University

A panel of experts on housing respond to Treasurer Scott Morrison’s speech on improving the supply of housing in Australia.

July 10, 2016

Election 2016: what will a re‑elected Coalition government mean for key policy areas?

Jeff Borland, The University of Melbourne; Ben Spies-Butcher, Macquarie University; Deborah Ralston, Monash University; Diana Perche, Macquarie University; Emmaline Bexley, The University of Melbourne; Glenn Savage, The University of Melbourne; Helen Dickinson, The University of Melbourne; Jago Dodson, RMIT University; Jim Gillespie, University of Sydney; Joanna Mendelssohn, UNSW ; John Wanna, Australian National University; Mary Anne Kenny, Murdoch University; Merlin Crossley AM, UNSW ; Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney; Robyn Eckersley, The University of Melbourne; Susan Irvine, Queensland University of Technology, and Thas Ampalavanapillai Nirmalathas, The University of Melbourne

What’s in store for key policy areas, from health to education to infrastructure to asylum seekers, under a returned Coalition government?

June 22, 2016

Explainer: what is ‘value capture’ and what does it mean for cities?

Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney and Stewart Lawler, University of Sydney

Value capture is touted as a way to fund infrastructure, but what actually is it?

June 16, 2016

How the Property Council is shaping the debate around negative gearing, taxes

Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney and Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney

The Property Council of Australia, a lobby group representing the biggest real estate developers, has shaped election debate about negative gearing and some taxes.

March 10, 2016

Housing policy is captive to property politics, so don’t expect politicians to tackle affordability

Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney and Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney

The default position for politicians is to sound concerned about housing affordability, but do nothing. This can be explained by the idea of ‘policy capture’, in this case by industry interests.

June 23, 2015

Tackling housing unaffordability: a 10‑point national plan

Hal Pawson, UNSW ; Bill Randolph, UNSW ; Judith Yates, University of Sydney; Michael Darcy, Western Sydney University; Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney; Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney, and Vivienne Milligan, UNSW

The widening cracks in Australia’s housing system can no longer be concealed. Seven leading Australian academics say this 10 point plan can help fix housing affordability.

December 12, 2014

Speaking with: Nicole Gurran on affordable housing

Dallas Rogers, Western Sydney University

Australia’s residential house prices rank among the highest in the world, and an increasing number of aspiring home owners are finding themselves locked out of the property market. While low interest rates…

August 28, 2014

Going bananas over affordable housing

Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney and Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney

A poster in the head office of a state planning agency claims: “Highest Housing Approvals in a decade: Keeping homes more affordable”. Indeed, the latest figures show national housing approvals rose 16…

February 23, 2014

Living on The Block and other housing fantasies

Nicole Gurran, University of Sydney and Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney

It’s ironic that fantasy home shows are the latest genre in reality TV, at a time when affordable housing is the real fantasy for many. The format is strangely addictive – photogenic twenty somethings…