At Shelter NSW we have long advocated for more affordable rental housing, in addition to social housing not instead of it!  And our policy priorities call for Government to make the planning system systematically deliver these outcomes.

The flurry of announcements from the NSW government in late 2023, signifies a new and focused government interest in using the planning system to support the production of affordable housing. Given this, we thought it was important to bring together a view on international practice and research evidence. As with much public policy – beyond key headlines announced, there are still important policy design questions to be understood and answered. These go beyond those of contribution rates and perpetuity requirements.

This report by Drs Gilbert and Zanardo addresses these very topical issues in NSW and offers recommendations for how policy might be further developed to ensure meaningful public benefit outcomes while managing potential risks and unintended consequences.

We encourage our members to read the report (as well as the recently published Affordable Housing Density Bonus Schemes by Professor Peter Phibbs)  and use it to broaden and inform community and policy debate.

Ultimately as a peak body, our goal is to assist the NSW Government in its development of effective inclusionary housing policies. We thank Dr Michale Zanardo (and Shelter NSW Member) and Dr Catherine Gilbert for their timely and insightful contributions to this important public debate. We will be providing the report to the Minister for Planning.