Successful programs overseas have been highly targeted, financially innovative and used planning systems and public land to provide essential workers with housing they can afford.

Infill development is patchy across Australian cities, as is its quality. Bigger and better projects are needed to hit planning targets and reduce urban sprawl.

The government has made housing a federal policy priority after a decade of neglect. But the scale of the housing crisis means its actions to date are just a start – much more must be done.

Other states may well follow Victoria’s lead, but the 7.5% levy is likely to have a very modest impact on rental housing supply. There’s much more governments could do.

Bypassing planning regulations is likely to have impacts on social inequity and wellbeing that could prove very costly for both governments and people.

COVID-19 halted immigration and housing affordability got much worse. We’d feel the impacts of internal migration and undersupply of affordable housing even if we again blocked migrants from overseas.

The people with the worst health often live in rental homes likely to make them sicker, and poor policy could make it worse.