High rents a roadblock to productivity

August 23, 2026 — 6:00am

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The interests of renters are often treated as a footnote in Sydney’s never-ending conversation about property prices.

But even with the recent dip in house prices, buying a property remains out of reach for many – especially buying a home that is within reasonable reach of the workplace.

New data revealed in The Sun-Herald today shows there has been little respite from rental rises across Sydney, with the price of owning your own home keeping large numbers of people in the rental market, especially in the inner cities where they compete with international students to lease apartments.

Senior economics correspondent Shane Wright reports that in some parts of the country, rents have risen by 80 per cent since the COVID-era rent........

© The Sydney Morning Herald