Interpac Business and Migration Solutions Melbourne Australia

(22 Feb. 2010) Soaring house prices, rising interest rates and a winding back of the first homeowners grant all contributed to housing affordability taking a nose-dive at the end of 2009.

The deterioration was widespread in all capital cities and regional areas, with the largest falls recorded in Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra, according to a Housing Industry Association (HIA)/Commonwealth Bank of Australia survey.

Affordability tanked 18.4 per cent in the December quarter and was 22.3 per cent lower than 12 months earlier.

The association's senior economist Ben Phillips said prior to the December quarter, first homebuyers had a small window of favourable affordability conditions to enter the market.

"The window is now closing with affordability retreating to 2008 levels when interest rates were significantly higher," he said in releasing the report on Monday.

The association is forecasting a moderate housing recovery in 2010 with about 152,000 dwelling starts.

But that's still below the 190,000 required to keep pace with Australia's population growth.

"Without the required new home building to keep up with underlying requirements, house prices and rents are expected to continue pushing upwards through 2010," Mr Phillips said.

Housing policy must be "front and centre" of debate heading towards the federal election, likely later this year.

A necessary boost to housing supply was being held back by increased regulation, a slow and increasingly restricted building approvals process and the same debilitating problems to land supply, new home taxation, and skill shortages that afflicted the industry last cycle, Mr Phillips said.