Communications Minister Anika Wells has faced criticism from the Opposition for using children's toys to explain Australia's housing crisis. Wells shared a video on Sunday that drew parallels between the limited supply of houses and the popularity of Woolworths' Ooshies, a line of collectible toys.
In the video, titled "Hot Property," Wells used Ooshies to illustrate concepts of supply and demand, Labor's tax changes, and the first home buyer scheme. She compared the scarcity of housing to the scarcity of rare Ooshies, noting how their limited availability drives up prices. "Both the Ooshie market and the Australian housing market are dictated by supply and demand," Wells stated in the video. "The problem right now is that supply of Ooshies and the supply of housing is not keeping pace with demand."
Wells also used the Ooshies analogy to explain the government's 5% deposit scheme for first-home buyers. She equated the deposit required for a house to a small percentage of an Ooshie's price, suggesting that just as a buyer might need to save a small amount for a toy, first-home buyers need a smaller deposit to enter the market. "Instead of saving $30 to get one Ooshie, first-home buyers will only have to save $1.50," she said.
Additionally, Wells attempted to use the toys to explain Labor's changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax. The government had announced that negative gearing would only apply to new housing developments from July 2027, a move intended to encourage new construction and assist first-home buyers. Wells explained this by stating that housing investors, or "Ooshie collectors," could continue to use the tax system but only for "new Ooshies."
Opposition communications spokeswoman Sarah Henderson described the video as "embarrassing, puerile nonsense" and accused Wells of "patronising" Australians struggling to afford housing. "(Ms Wells) is tone deaf to the acute harm that Labor's housing policies are causing Australians—fewer homes, higher rents and declining confidence," Senator Henderson told The Australian. Opposition housing spokesman Andrew Bragg suggested that Wells's explanation inadvertently highlighted the government's shortcomings in addressing the housing crisis, pointing to figures indicating a shortfall in new housing targets.
Bragg also criticized the 5% deposit scheme, asserting that it could inflate prices and allow individuals across all income brackets to enter the market sooner, potentially displacing those who need the assistance most. He characterized Labor's housing strategy as one involving "more taxes, regulation and corruption," adding that the communication strategy itself appeared to be "astray."