A 5-minute read inspired by SBS Audio’s “How Australians Talk About Housing”
A recent LinkedIn thread led me to SBS Audio’s podcast featuring architect-developer Jeremy McLeod (Breathe Architecture, Nightingale Housing). In a 30-minute conversation, McLeod unpacks the clash between the romantic “Australian Dream” and the commercial machinery that actually delivers our homes. Here is the original link: How Australians Talk About Housing | SBS Audio
Pressed for time? Here are the points that made me reflect, told largely in McLeod’s words. Overall, my impression of McLeod’s core message is that Australia’s housing crisis is as much about language and power as bricks and mortar. He aligns the narrative (and the rules) with the idea that housing is a right, rewards long-term sustainability rather than short-term comparable, and architects, developers and agents can pull in the same direction. Until then, expect the “dominant paradigm” to keep winning.
Housing is first and foremost a place to live, yet the industry treats it as “product.”
I never really thought about this way, but in hindsight and reflecting on my own conversations with the industry, I think that’s true. McLeod contrasts his own language of “housing people live in” with developers’ vocabulary of doors, boxes, keys and market mix. He had to learn to “speak their language” so he can keep a seat at the table and still push for sustainability and social outcomes.
Profit isn’t evil, but it drives every decision once the state withdraws.
Since the 1980s-90s Australia has largely ceded housing delivery to the private market. Developers take on real risk, so feasibility and margin become the sole success metric; politicians may talk about housing as a right, but that framing rarely enters the project-room.
Real-estate agents increasingly outrank architects in the development team.
This was an interesting point for me and one to watch. Because real estate agents are the direct interface with buyers and financiers, their views on “what the market wants” (e.g., gas cook-tops, double bathrooms, car spaces) often override architectural goals such as all-electric design, smaller footprints or shared amenities.
Valuers and banks reinforce the status quo.
They benchmark against yesterday’s projects; features without a historical price signal: seven-star energy ratings, no car space, car-free rooftops etc. are hard to price, so they default to conventional layouts. Innovation is penalised rather than rewarded. This point did not come as a surprise to me, given the work we have been doing since 2023 to introduce an innovative underfloor heating solution in Australia.
Clear government rules reset the conversation.
Victoria and the ACT’s bans on gas in new buildings removed a major point of friction; once policy draws a bright line, the market quickly adapts and architects no longer have to “prosecute the same argument room after room.”
Architects need to drop the jargon or start design education early.
Terms like juxtaposition and tectonics alienate clients and weaken architects’ influence compared with the plain-spoken sales team. Communication skills are as critical as design skills. I personally knew both words and I have no idea why!
Treating housing as a human right is cheaper (and kinder) than crisis management.
McLeod cites Finland’s “Housing First” model: when the state ensures everyone is housed, spending on policing, hospitals, foodbanks and emergency services falls. If Australia stays on a purely market path, he fears it will follow the U.S. trajectory of mass homelessness. However, I wonder how this principle would be impacted by the difference in population size and taxation systems between Finland and Australia. McLoed does mention socialist systems vs capitalist democracies.
Vision for better urban living: small, connected, resource-lite communities.
Asked what kind of house he’d be, McLeod chooses a hutong, which is a dense, multigenerational courtyard cluster. It embodies community, safety and minimal resource use, values that he believes future Australian housing should reflect. It does remind me of my birth country, Italy, where it Is not uncommon for extended families to live all together or right next to each other.
Where does this leave architects and builders?
McLeod’s takeaway is less “design differently” than “speak differently while still designing courageously.” If professionals can master both human-centric storytelling and spreadsheet-fluent feasibility, the gap between visionary sketches and bankable projects can close.
From my perspective, Warmset’s far-infrared, electric under-floor systems were created nearly 20 years ago in Europe for exactly the low-carbon, post-gas future McLeod describes. If you are exploring pathways to meet new electrification and energy-efficiency targets without compromising comfort and safety, we are happy to advise on the best solution for your project (like we did for this regional Victoria home, see case study)
Giovanna Toldi, Managing Director, Warmset Australia
