On the Fence

The great Australian dream is now an obsession. With 6.2 million active property enthusiasts spending twice as much time searching for their perfect home as going to the gym, is this obsession healthy? The Australian’s economics editor Adam Creighton hosts a series of panel discussions with experts including Bernard Salt, author and historian George Megalogenis, Realestate.com.au’s property economist Nerida Conisbee and financial commentator Peter Switzer, to help make sense of this national obsession. For many Australians the surest path to wealth has been to invest in bricks and mortar. But will it always be as safe as houses? A generation of investors is now heavily reliant on property to supplement their retirement plans, and our tax system is creaking under the weight of so many negative gearing investors. Over two million Australians own an investment property, with $20 billion handed to negative gearing property owners in tax breaks in the last five reported tax years.It’s fuelling an obsession with property, but is it healthy? Host: Adam CreightonGuests: Nicki Hutley, Deloitte Access Economics & George Megalogenis See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.