2025 PROGRAM
The Housing Crunch: What Drives Prices 101
DATE:
Sunday 22 March, 2026
LOCATION:
Manly Youth Centre
COST:
$25.00
Housing affordability dominates Australian conversation, yet much of what we think we know is incomplete or contested. In this masterclass, leading independent economist Saul Eslake breaks down the forces driving housing prices in Australia today, separating short-term pressures
from structural factors and clarifying where assumptions go astray. The session examines capital gains tax, the real impact of migration, intergenerational inequality, and whether rising prices genuinely make Australia wealthier. Clear, measured and grounded in evidence.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
The Manly Writers' Festival acknowledges and thanks the original storytellers on the lands on which our events take place, the Gameraygal people of the Eora Nation. We acknowledge and respect their continuing connection and culture, and we pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present, as well as emerging leaders.