Australia's housing sector and the major banks' increased exposure to mortgages have been identified as key risks in the Financial System Inquiry's interim report.
"The increase in housing debt and banks’ more concentrated exposure to mortgages mean that housing has become a significant source of systemic risk," the David Murray-led panel warned.
Since the Wallis Inquiry, the increase in households’ mortgage indebtedness has been accompanied by banks allocating a greater proportion of their loan book to mortgages; the share of loans for housing has increased from 47 per cent in 1997 to its current share of 66 per cent, the report said.
"A large enough disruption to the housing market could have significant implications for household balance sheets, financial stability, economic growth, and the speed of recovery in household spending and broader economic activity following a shock," the report said.
The interim report found little evidence of a shortage of housing finance, but did note that the tightening of lending conditions following the global financial crisis only partially reversed the easing of lending conditions that occurred over the preceding couple of decades.
"In general, households are not constrained from borrowing amounts that they can reasonably be expected to repay," the report said.
"Demand for housing finance largely reflects purchases of existing (rather than new) housing by households wanting to upgrade or downgrade, by first home-buyers or by investors."
The report comes just a day after the Reserve Bank of Australia warned the the average home buyer would be better off renting if house price growth slows below its long-term average.
The report also noted that households save through purchasing assets and paying down debt, with superannuation the largest -- and fastest growing -- financial asset on the household balance sheet.
It noted that the unequal tax treatment of savings vehicles distorted the asset composition of household balance sheets, which could potentially affect the broader flow of funds in the economy.
The panel said a number of submissions supported a more uniform tax treatment of household savings.