Australia’s housing shortage isn’t just about planning approvals or red tape — it’s about money. In this episode, commercial finance expert Jean-Pierre Gortan, Joint Founder of Simplicity Loans & Advisory, joins Veronica Morgan and Chris Bates to unpack the financial bottlenecks preventing new homes from being built, even in areas crying out for supply. Jean-Pierre draws on more than two decades of experience structuring complex, multi-lender deals to explain why so many developments are stuck in limbo. From Parramatta to Penrith, he reveals how post-COVID construction cost blowouts, tighter lending standards, and broken feasibility models have made many projects impossible to fund — even with demand at record highs. They discuss how non-bank lenders are filling the void left by traditional banks, why build-to-rent projects still struggle to stack up in high-cost cities like Sydney, and what state governments are doing through rezoning, TOD corridors, and density incentives to unlock supply. Jean-Pierre also shares insights into how the market differs between NSW, Victoria, and Queensland, and what policy shifts could finally make housing delivery viable again. This is a candid, ground-level look at the economics of housing supply — and a reminder that Australia’s housing crisis won’t be solved by planning reforms alone, but by rethinking how development is financed. Episode Highlights 00:00 – Introduction 02:12 — How COVID Cost Blowouts Crushed Feasibility 03:51 — When Projects Don’t Stack Up Financially 05:22 — Why Government Fixes Aren’t Solving Supply 15:38 — Non-Bank Lenders: Who’s Funding Projects Now 18:02 — Developers Adapting to a Tougher Market 21:32 — How Finance Shapes Future Housing Supply 25:53 — Residential vs Commercial: Shared Challenges 26:27 — Why Banks Pulled Back from Construction Loans 28:18 — Can Government Programs Reignite Building? 29:48 — Pre-Sales Pressure: A Hidden Project Killer 31:10 — Quality, Oversight, and Building Regulation Costs 32:39 — Red Tape and Rezoning: The Slow Path to Supply 36:40 – Transport Oriented Development (TOD) and LMR Zones 43:08 — Property Dumbo: Overconfidence in Feasibility 44:45 — Final Thoughts: Funding and the Road Ahead Links Jean-Pierre Gortan (website bio) LMR Viewer About the Guest Jean-Pierre Gortan is the Joint Founder of Simplicity Loans & Advisory and one of Australia’s most respected figures in commercial finance. A back-to-back winner of the Australian Broker of the Year Award by MPA Magazine , Jean-Pierre has built a national reputation for solving some of the country’s most complex funding challenges with creativity, precision, and integrity. With more than two decades of experience across property, business, and development finance, he has been instrumental in steering Simplicity’s growth into one of Australia’s leading independent advisory firms. His expertise lies in structuring sophisticated, multi-lender transactions — from nine-figure refinances to bespoke development facilities — all with a focus on delivering exceptional client outcomes. Beyond finance, Jean-Pierre is a passionate advocate for community causes, having raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through initiatives such as the Larapinta Stage Race, the CEO Sleepout, and his ongoing support for the Women’s Resilience Centre. A...
