Wednesday 29 May 2024
MEDIA RELEASE
Housing targets, incentives welcome – but penalties also required
The Property Council of Australia has welcomed reports this morning that the NSW Government will today announce new housing targets and a new incentive fund with cash for community projects for councils that meet or exceed targets.
NSW Executive Director Katie Stevenson said the Property Council had recommended such a fund in its Pre-Budget submission, and reiterated its call earlier this week for the urgent release of housing targets which were due last year.
“We’ll hear more from the Premier later today, but if this morning’s reports pan out it’s a great win for our members, with the housing incentive fund one of our key budget recommendations. It’s a timely step by the NSW Government to begin to address the growing crisis in housing delivery.
“Councils play a pivotal role in helping NSW meet its National Housing Accord delivery goals, and clear targets together with incentives for additional funds for parks, sports facilities, and other community infrastructure is a bold and necessary move.”
Ms Stevenson said while many councils would be motivated by the new housing incentive fund, performance penalty measures also needed to be introduced.
“The Premier has committed previously to a league table for local council performance on housing delivery, but we need to go further – our Pre-Budget Submission calls for a ‘red card’ model for underperforming councils with greater use of the state’s ‘step-in’ planning powers.
“We’ll hear more later today, but the offer of additional funding for high-performing councils needs to be balanced with clear penalties for those councils that fail to deliver against targets. A housing crisis demands a crisis response, and this is no time for half measures.
“We know that many local councils will work hard to meet their targets, but we need to make sure all councils are making significant effort to move at the pace of the best – we won’t close the housing gap without both carrot and stick,” Ms Stevenson said.
Ms Stevenson said reports of the expected inclusion of housing targets to 43 LGAs across Sydney, the Hunter, Central Coast and Illawarra was a positive step.
“The housing crisis doesn’t stop at the boundaries of the Hawkesbury and Georges River. The inclusion of these additional LGAs would be very welcome and send a strong message that the Government has recognised the urgency of the situation,” Ms Stevenson said.
The Property Council has also called for funding in the forthcoming Budget to help councils clear the significant backlog of residential development applications (DAs) awaiting decision.
“While the new targets are welcome, we need urgently to clear the backlog of DAs stuck in the system for more than 6 months to help councils stand even a chance of meeting Housing Accord numbers,” Ms Stevenson said.
ENDS
Media contact: Andrew Parkinson 0404 615 596 / [email protected]