The Bug‘s finance and investment columnist has turned his attention to the nation’s housing crisis and has found a like-minded crusader. But there’s much more work to do and our readers can help.

You would have to be living under a rock to miss the news that our wide brown land is facing a housing crisis.

By saying that I am in no way disparaging people who are actually currently living under a rock because they can’t afford to rent or buy a home of their own.

For yonks home ownership was a true blue Aussie dream. But for far too long now it has been a nightmare for battling Aussies, especially the younger generation.

I grew up in the days when just about everyone I knew was also growing up in a weatherboard house on a quarter-acre block with a white picket fence.

But in recent times a white picket has more likely been a protest by locals against foreigners outbidding them at house auctions.

That’s an issue for another day. Right now I want to focus on a dinki-di bloke who’s getting off his arse to do something to put more people into home ownership.

I’m talking about NSW politician, Senator Andrew Bragg, (main picture) whose recent speech at the National Press Club set off a firestorm of criticism – bloody unfair criticism in my book.

Senator Bragg is a Liberal, so for starters he’s way ahead as an economic manager than any lefty woke no-gender commo collectivist in the ranks of the current Labor Party that infests the government in Canberra.

I’m sorry to get political, but the old Morrie was brought up in a conservative household.

My old man, Morrie Senior, was for some years a paid up member of the local Liberal Party branch – treasurer, in fact until questions were asked about some missing funds and an auditor questioned the 105% commission he was charging for processing members’ dues.

But he was never bitter about his expulsion, especially when he reached an agreement that saw no charges being pressed.

Nevertheless, to return to Senator Bragg, I believe he embodies the visionary nature that once was the mark of the Libs.

I was very interested in his idea of cutting the red tape that binds any entrepreneur who wants to answer the plaintiff cries .. sorry, plaintive cries (force of habit on my part) of those excluded from owning their own home.

I reckon the old Braggy is on the right path with his ideas for removing the heavy yolk of building regulations.

The good Senator has made a good start on lifting the regulatory roadblocks to home construction by putting most of the National Construction Code (NCC) through the office shredder.

But I want to take things further, to build – pardon the pun – on Senator Bragg’s ideas by going even further than he has dared to go.

I mean, it’s beyond me why the hell we need so many rules and regulations that only delay construction or push up building costs by mandating the adherence to fanciful, redundant, and costly concepts like structural integrity, fire safety, cyclone-proofing, and so on.

To eliminate those barriers I’m establishing a task force of my own to examine what’s left of the NCC after Braggy’s had a go at it and to put the red pencil through most of the remains.

But this work takes time and money. So I’m asking any astute investors to pony up their hard-earned to help get my task force out of the blocks.

If you want to help, just send a donation — one or two Ks at the bare minimum — to my new fund and I’ll get things moving at my end.

Send a cheque to me via The Bug and make it out to Construct A Substandard House.

Bugger it, to save your time and mine, just make it out to CASH.

I’ll be in touch.

DISCLAIMER: Morrison Edison Ponzi Phar-Lap Bezzle, address withheld, is CEO of property development company We Put the Con in Construction Pty Ltd, non-executive director of Home-A-Loan Mortgage Brokers Ltd, and chair of Subterranean Tiny Homes formerly trading as In-Ground Septic Tanks Pty Ltd.

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