Among the bolder claims in last month’s budget was that “under the Coalition, home ownership will always be supported”. Since the Howard government took office in 1996, the proportion of Australian households owning the home they live in has fallen from 70% to 66%. The proportion having paid off their mortgage has fallen from 40% to 30%. The proportion renting privately has climbed from 20% to 27%. In the lead up to the budget, home prices began climbing again, soaring 8.5% in Melbourne and 11% in Sydney. The response was a series of measures designed to look as if they would help people buy their own homes. Shuffling the queue