The regional housing crisis is deep and entrenched, demanding a significant response from the NSW Parliament and Government that forms after the March NSW State Election.
Shelter NSW recently released an update to its Regional Housing Need Report, incorporating 2021 Census data. The report confirms that without government intervention, and especially given large population growth and ageing projections for many regional LGAs, communities are vulnerable to worsening cost-of-living pressures and further natural disasters. The report has attracted considerable attention from local areas like Newcastle, Wollongong and the Central Coast – alarmed at the report’s findings for those communities.
In addition to the top 11 LGAs of highest housing need, the report includes one-page profiles on other LGAs, including: Bega Valley, Bellingen, Cabonne, Dubbo, Eurobodalla, Kiama, Lismore, Mid-Coast, Orange, Queanbeyan-Palerang, Shoalhaven, Tamworth, Wagga Wagga, and Wingecarribee. These are LGAs that we are keeping on our radar as having additional housing pressures due to worker accommodation requirements for big infrastructure and industry projects; seasonal holiday-makers; proximity to capital cities and worsening climate change impacts.
Shelter NSW has distributed the report to all sitting MPs (and many candidates) connected with all of the LGAs noted in the report.
For more information about:
- Regional Australia Institute (RAI): an independent think tank devoted to issues concerning regional Australia with deep research capability and great appreciation of regional communities
- RAI Regional Movers Index December 2022 report – this reports tracks population growth hotspots and especially the trend of people moving from Australia’s capital cities to regions
- Shelter NSW Regional Report media release
- ABC Central Coast News bulletin
- Newcastle Morning Herald (front page): Housing hell – Shelter NSW report ‘raises the alarm’ for regions
- Illawarra Mercury story: Shellharbour and Wollongong among state’s ‘highest needs housing’ regions
- Orange City Council (refers to Shelter NSW report) update 1 March 2023: MOU to tackle housing affordability