Last Tuesday, Shelter NSW was proud to sponsor a most successful screening of ‘Common Wealth’ – with over 160 attendees – an Australian documentary that invites audiences to reflect on the economic and political systems that shape our society, and to imagine fairer and more inclusive alternatives. Through a journey across eight countries, filmmaker Kane Guglielmi explores different approaches to prosperity, democracy and shared wellbeing, encouraging people to reflect on what a more equitable future could look like.
After the screening, where we discovered the documentary at the same time as the audience, Shelter NSW Senior Policy Officer Thomas Chailloux joined Konrad Benjamin, better known as Punter’s Politics, and the filmmaker himself, Kane Gugliemi, for a panel discussion exploring how the film’s broader themes relate to Australia’s housing system, how we share the wealth generated by resource extraction, and what ‘punters’ may do to change society, one little bit at a time.
The discussion explored housing affordability and wealth inequality, including the policy settings that have contributed to widening wealth inequality between generations in Australia. Panellists reflected on the role of the tax system, the increasing concentration of housing wealth, and the consequences for younger Australians and people living on lower incomes, who face barriers growing bigger every day to secure housing, let alone home ownership.
While restoring home ownership to a realistic aspiration for more Australians remains an important long-term goal, the discussion also focused on reforms that could improve housing outcomes today. These include expanding social and affordable housing, strengthening renters’ rights, improving the quality and energy efficiency of rental homes, and making renting a fair, secure and genuinely viable long-term housing option, not just a temporary step on a path to ownership that never ends
Shelter NSW thanks Konrad and Kane for such an engaging discussion. Punter’s Politics has helped bring complex policy debates to a broad audience – particularly younger Australians – encouraging people to think critically about issues such as housing, inequality and the influence of vested interests on public policy. Making policy debates more accessible and engaging is an important contribution to a healthy democracy, and one that complements Shelter NSW’s commitment to evidence-based housing advocacy. And we thank Kane for his brave and very personal film, facing personal challenges with the common good in mind always, and bringing back home a beautiful movie meant as a conversation starter, not a barbecue stopper.
We also thank the organisers and everyone who attended for contributing to a thoughtful discussion, with a special mention to the employee of Tower Cinemas Newcastle who had to overcome his nerves for his first ever public speech at work!
‘Common Wealth’ provided an opportunity to connect broader questions of fairness and economic opportunity with the practical reforms needed to create a housing system that works for all.