Peter Phibbs

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.

September 5, 2024

How to get the housing we need: healthy, affordable and resilient to climate change

Lyrian Daniel, University of South Australia; Emma Baker, University of Adelaide; Ian Hamilton, UCL; Michaela Lang, Monash University, and Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney

We know what needs to be done, but it depends on the political will to act. And some states and territories have failed to adopt actions to improve housing quality that were agreed in 2022.

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.

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 19, 2018

We won’t close the gap if the Commonwealth cuts off Indigenous housing support

Daphne Habibis, University of Tasmania; Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney, and Rhonda Phillips, The University of Queensland

Decent housing underpins the Closing the Gap goals, with a decade-long national remote housing program having made measurable progress. If the Commonwealth pulls out now, hard-won gains could be lost.

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.

October 10, 2017

Some states do better than others on affordable housing – we can learn from the successes

Steven Rowley, Curtin University and Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney

The states that are delivering more affordable housing have sophisticated, multi-pronged strategies to serve the full range of needs.

May 2, 2017

Three charts on: crane‑spotting, a way to tell which Australian cities are growing and where

Jennifer L. Kent, University of Sydney and Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney

About 84% of cranes in Australia are used on residential sites, with commercial projects making up 5% of crane activity. Health, education, infrastructure and recreation projects make up the rest.

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 23, 2017

Our big cities are engines of inequality, so how do we fix that?

Somwrita Sarkar, University of Sydney; Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney, and Roderick Simpson, University of Sydney

Our big cities increase incomes faster than population growth, but most residents miss out on the extra income growth. Creating multiple centres of activity may help make bigger better for everyone.

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.

November 23, 2016

Sydney needs higher affordable housing targets

Laurence Troy, UNSW ; Dallas Rogers, Western Sydney University; Emma Power, Western Sydney University; Hal Pawson, UNSW ; Kurt Iveson, University of Sydney; Louise Crabtree-Hayes, Western Sydney University; Michael Darcy, Western Sydney University, and Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney

The community needs affordable housing and that requires meaningful targets for new developments. The only ones who will lose out are landholders who make windfall profits from rezoning.

September 6, 2016

By 2030, ‘no Australian child will be living in poverty’ – why can’t we promise that?

Wendy Stone, Swinburne University of Technology; Emma Baker, University of Adelaide; Liss Ralston, Swinburne University of Technology; Peter Phibbs, University of Sydney, and Rebecca Bentley, The University of Melbourne

Income poverty statistics tell us relatively little about why Australian children live in poverty, or how to alleviate it. But housing plays a critical part in the problem.

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.

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…

September 8, 2013

Home equity: Australia’s growing wealth divide

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

For all our talk about housing affordability, few people want house prices to drop. That’s because most Australians are home owners, and much of our wealth is stored in housing. But recent figures released…