Tim Ross is coming to Wagga to explain the evolution of housing in Australia. Photo: Supplied.
A humorous look at Australia’s property obsession and the unraveling of the “Australian dream” is coming to Wagga soon.
Comedian and design commentator Tim Ross is examining how home ownership shifted from an achievable milestone to an increasingly out-of-reach ambition for many Australians in a presentation at the Wagga Wagga Art Gallery on 29 April.
Best known as one half of comedy duo Merrick and Rosso, Mr Ross has more recently built a reputation for exploring architecture, design and the cultural forces that shape Australian living.
His latest show, The Australian Dream?, draws on 18 months of research through public archives and combines storytelling, humour and short films to trace how housing became one of the country’s defining obsessions. At the centre of his argument is a structural shift that occurred in the late 1990s.
“That’s when the discount to the capital gains tax made it more attractive to invest, and changed the way we viewed housing,” he said.
That policy shift reduced the tax on profits from assets held longer than a year and helped accelerate the idea of housing as a wealth-building strategy rather than simply a place to live. Mr Ross argues it was a turning point that helped entrench property speculation in Australian life.
The entertainment industry helped accelerate that change.
“Australia also invented the television show The Block, which turned housing into a game show,” he said.
“Since then, we also started to spend more time at home and began ‘peacocking’ a lot more, showing off our properties,” he said.
Mr Ross also challenges the idea that today’s housing pressures can be blamed on older Australians.
“There’s some boomer bashing going on; that’s unfair as all they’ve done is take advantage of government policy,” he said.
Looking further back, he highlights how housing in Australia has changed dramatically since the mid-20th century.
“In the 1950s, lots of working Australians were living in public housing. The stigma came after that, which is a shame – it would be better if social housing were more accessible.”
Those long-term shifts are now visible in regional centres such as Wagga, where rising prices and limited land supply are changing the shape of development.
“In Wagga you’re seeing a lot more apartments because you can’t sprawl forever,” he said.
“There was once a time you could get a house in the country in a place like Wagga for $130,000. You just needed to find $10,000 to move, but those days are gone.”
Despite the serious subject matter, Mr Ross says the Wagga presentation is designed to be accessible and entertaining, combining humour with archival material and short films.
“I’ve made three films and a slide show. It’s pretty light-hearted; it’s not all doom and gloom; I try and deal with a serious issue in a fun and factual way,” he said.
“We can’t design our way out of this, but if government do commit to social housing and we take people out of the rental markets, we’re going to be in a better place.”
As housing affordability continues to dominate national debate, Mr Ross’s talk will offer a timely reflection on how Australia’s property culture was built – and how it needs to be reconsidered.
The Australian Dream with Tim Ross is at 6:30 to 7:40 pm on Wednesday 29 April at the Wagga Wagga Art Gallery. Tickets are $45 and can be bought online.
