Australia's housing shortfall is not a new story. But for those working in construction and development, the numbers behind it — the policy decisions, the rate cycles, the demand dynamics — matter more than ever. Few people in Australia can unpack those forces with the clarity, depth, and plain-English authority that Alan Kohler AM brings to the conversation.
A track record built on five decades of economic reporting
As ABC News' long-running finance presenter and former editor of both the Australian Financial Review and The Age, Alan has spent more than 50 years interpreting the forces that shape Australian business and industry. His signature graphs, straight-talking style, and ability to connect policy, markets, and real-world outcomes have made him one of the country's most trusted financial voices. For construction and housing audiences, that expertise translates directly.
Making sense of the housing mess
In his keynote The Great Australian Housing Mess, Alan traces how decades of policy decisions — from capital gains discounts to first-home buyer grants and migration settings — created the demand-supply imbalance now defining the market. He does not just diagnose the problem; he shows construction leaders how housing shapes wages, workforce availability, and capital planning.
For an industry whose pipeline depends on approvals, finance conditions, and consumer confidence, Alan's ability to connect macro forces to on-the-ground realities is genuinely useful.
Finance and interest rates: what construction businesses need to know
Beyond housing, Alan's keynote Markets, Money and You gives leaders the tools to read interest rate cycles and credit conditions with greater confidence. For construction companies navigating project financing, input costs, and investment decisions, understanding how rates flow through to margins is not an abstract exercise — it is a practical necessity.
Alan strips back the noise and explains what bank signals and liquidity trends actually mean for businesses managing capital in a volatile environment.
Built for industry events
Alan's sessions are engaging, evidence-based, and free of jargon. He combines decades of experience with genuine storytelling ability — qualities that make him equally effective at a state industry conference, a developer roundtable, or a national housing summit.
For event organisers looking to bring real economic intelligence into the room, Alan delivers something that few speakers can: clarity on the issues that matter most, from someone who has spent a career getting it right.
