Housing is consistently Australians' second issue after cost of living: 39% named it in Ipsos's September 2026 monitor, down from 47% in February. Voters back the May 2026 budget's negative gearing and capital gains changes more than they oppose them (Resolve, August 2026: 35–20 on negative gearing), and support bringing house prices down by 60 to 10. Ipsos still rates Labor the single party most capable on housing, but on RedBridge's measure One Nation and the Coalition together lead Labor and the Greens.
How much it matters
Ipsos Issues Monitor: % naming each as one of the most important issues facing Australia.
The 5% Deposit Scheme opened to all first home buyers with no income or price caps; 22,921 guarantees were issued in its first four months. (abc.net.au)
The budget limited negative gearing to new builds for property bought after budget night and replaced the 50% CGT discount, with existing holdings grandfathered. (abc.net.au)