Last month's fall in house prices is good news. Further falls would be welcome.

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Politicians and media headlines avoid saying this, but it is what most Australians think.

A recent opinion poll by Resolve Political Monitor found 54 per cent of Australians supported lower home prices, about five times as many as the 11 per cent who were opposed (35 per cent were unsure or neutral). This includes overwhelming support among home owners, 53 per cent of whom want lower prices, compared with only 12 per cent opposed.

A Sky News Pulse/YouGov poll showed similar results. Forty-nine per cent of Australians want property prices to decrease over the next two years, compared to just 17 per cent wanting an increase.

These results surprise those who think Australians are narrowly selfish, supporting only those policies that help their individual finances.

On the contrary, voters (including home owners) care about their kids. They want younger generations to have the same opportunities to buy a house and settle down as their parents and grandparents had.

Moreover, Australians care about fairness. They see the high cost of housing dividing society, widening the rift between the housing haves and the housing have-nots.

Our housing market is broken and voters know that.

The media often get this wrong. Headlines claimed "unwelcome news for two-thirds of Australians".

Politicians don't understand the public mood either. When government representatives are asked whether they want housing prices to fall, they sidestep the question or answer "no, we want sustainable growth".

Not only is this out of step with public opinion, it doesn't make sense. How can the government say that housing is too expensive, yet not want lower prices?

The opposition is worse. Michaelia Cash complained that a 0.4 per cent fall in housing prices is a "crash ... that's sadly not........

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