More and more we find ourselves using the word ‘modest ’to describe the efforts of Governments (Federal and State) in tackling the entrenched housing crisis.
In September we joined many other housing organisations in welcoming the passing of the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) legislation. While modest in its ambition to deliver an additional 30,000 social and affordable rental dwellings over its first 5 years we acknowledge that it is a start, and a start that we observe the NSW Government and Community Housing Sector jumping right into.
‘Modest’ is also our we described the NSW Government’s $224 million Essential Housing Package.
NSW has a shortage of 221,500 social and affordable housing and needs a solid stock of social housing (public and community housing) as a genuine alternative to the private rental market.
The last decade has seen the steady decline of social housing stock in NSW, now languishing at 4.6% and falling. The safety net of social housing is in tatters. With a growing population and more general housing stock being encouraged, the NSW Government needs to step up its commitment.
We hope to see next year’s budgets deliver much more for the state and country.
NSW Budget 2023-24 – Shelter NSW media release
Budgets are about choices and priorities. The NSW Government in its budget papers has done a good job at explaining how bad the housing crisis is, but has failed to commit itself to fixing it.
NSW has a shortage of 221,500 social and affordable housing and needs a solid stock of social housing (public and community housing) as a genuine alternative to the private rental market.
Shelter NSW expects to see the NSW Government drive greater housing density around key transport nodes. We are calling for an assurance that the general community will benefit from commercial gains that will be made as land is rezoned and built out (and up). The government has the option to require genuinely affordable housing is delivered with that density.
“The NSW Government profits directly from the private housing market. Treasury papers forecast it receiving a whopping, additional $9.5 billion land in its coffers over the next four years… Surely the NSW public have a right to see some of that reinvested back into social housing infrastructure? (CEO John Engeler)