Australia’s property market is facing unprecedented challenges, with housing affordability deteriorating and rental availability shrinking. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported that the national average new mortgage size reached a record high of $624,383 in December 2023. Concurrently, national rent averages soared to $600 per week in the June quarter, with capital cities averaging $640 and regional areas $540. These alarming figures are compounded by a critically low rental vacancy rate of 1.4%, down from the pre-pandemic norm of 2.5%. In this context, the role of short-term rental companies like Airbnb has come under scrutiny. Critics argue that these