Australian pop culture turns darkly satirical over housing crisis
Creators Zoe Pepper and Fiona Wright say audiences are responding strongly to works that mirror real-world rental stress and the disconnect between generations.
A wave of new Australian creative works is depicting the housing crisis, soaring prices and intergenerational inequality. The film Birthright and the novel Kill Your Boomers are among the latest cultural products to reflect real-world rental stress and the disconnect between generations, with audiences responding strongly to the darkly satirical portrayals of the economic situation.
Birthright, directed by Zoe Pepper, is currently in Australian cinemas. The film follows a millennial couple, Jasmine (Maria Angelico) and Cory (Travis Jeffery), who face parenthood and homelessness. After Cory loses his job and Jasmine is on unpaid maternity leave, they move in with Cory’s boomer parents. Pepper says the idea emerged during the pandemic as young Australians moved back home, noting that housing prices have nearly doubled in the last five years. She describes the situation as akin to a Ponzi scheme.
Fiona Wright began working on her debut novel, Kill Your Boomers, around 2018. Published by Hardie Grant, the book features protagonist Keira, a freelance writer and au pair. Wright notes that the terminology of a housing crisis has moved into the centre of public discourse since she started writing. The story highlights the disconnect between Keira’s parents, who own a home and buy a Tesla, and Keira, who lives in a sharehouse.
The trend extends beyond film and fiction. Malthouse Theatre’s refreshed Pride & Prejudice has been billed as a love story in a housing crisis, while James Watson’s play The Housewarming is staged in Adelaide. Lex Hirst at Pantera Press cited two upcoming nonfiction novels dealing with the housing crisis and inheritance inequality, suggesting that while fiction may lean towards escapism, the reality of the market is driving cultural narratives.
Other literary examples include Madeleine Gray’s 2025 novel Chosen Family and Ellena Savage’s The Ruiners, both of which explore how inheritance and property wealth shape the lives of younger Australians. Pepper observes that the disparity between classes is becoming more pronounced, with the game-changing power of inheritance remaining a central theme in millennial fiction.