Two years ago, state and local governments pushed to fast-track conversions of near-empty offices into much-needed apartments to alleviate a housing crunch.

The promised panacea never eventuated.

Momentum to create homes out of empty offices has faded even as office vacancies rise and housing shortages intensify.

Developers have not submitted a single application to turn an office into housing in central Melbourne since 2023. Just one successful application has been made in the CBD of Sydney, the country’s most unaffordable city. As Melbourne’s public housing towers await demolition, some residents prepare to leave while others hold out Read more

Towers have proven expensive to refit and landlords have instead kept their properties in the office market, awaiting either a retu

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