Let’s be frank. Living under a roof you own puts you well ahead

June 20, 2026 — 5:00am

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Something that never fails to get under my skin is when people try to pretend a situation is different from reality, and fail to disclose that they’re benefiting in some way from this mass social gaslighting.

Take housing, for example. For decades, Australians have gone back and forth about homeownership as if there’s still some kind of genuine debate to be had about the extraordinary value of this particular kind of asset.

But let’s get real, the jury has been in for quite some time now. Anybody who owns property knows that they’re far more likely than not to be on a winning ticket. And anybody who is stuck in the rental market paying off someone else’s mortgage knows that they’re either falling behind or at the very least, failing to get ahead. So why do we still struggle to admit this out loud?

In large part, it comes down to who owns properties – and in particular, investment properties – and how this group has historically benefited from policies that have made it easier for those already on the ladder to climb higher.

That’s no doubt why the recently announced changes to negative gearing and capital gains taxes have been so divisive. Because despite there being myriad ways to invest money, a vocal cohort of Australians have come to not just love property as an investment strategy, but see the huge returns it has historically yielded as a right, even if that means a huge number of people are left behind.

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Why has housing for so long been such a popular investment strategy? Unlike stocks or bonds, property is a real, tangible thing that you can actively engage with. You can do inspections, walk through it, drive past it. All of this gives you a level of........

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