This is in stark contrast to the Minns Labor Government’s commonsense reforms which are delivering homes across Sydney, including in Labor electorates, matched with critical infrastructure like brand new train stations, metro stations, schools and hospitals.

Despite the Parliamentary Budget Office already being open, the Opposition Leader on radio this morning said “we don't know what the costs would be.”

This is a multi-billion-dollar bill to the taxpayer masquerading as a housing plan.

The Government’s plan for Woollahra and Edgecliff will deliver up to 9,400 homes, matched with Sydney’s first new heavy rail station in more than a decade connecting residents to the CBD in eight minutes, new parks, walking and cycling connections and upgrades to local infrastructure.

The Opposition leader has previously labelled the Government’s plans for 9,400 homes in Woollahra a “fantasy”, yet she is proposing more homes in an area one third of the size, with no plan for public transport.

The Government is also progressing major state-led rezonings around new Metro stations including:

• Bays West, set to support 8,400 new homes, including affordable housing
• Burwood North, set to support more than 18,000 new homes
• Westmead, set to support up to 13,000 new homes

At a time when housing is one of the biggest pressures on household budgets and NSW desperately needs more homes, every part of the state needs to do its fair share.

Young people, families and key workers cannot afford another housing plan that puts all new housing in Western Sydney while refusing to build the infrastructure needed to support it.

Long Bay currently provides around 1200 prison beds, including specialist facilities supporting inmates with complex medical, mental health, disability and rehabilitation needs.

The Opposition had previously committed to building a new prison at Goulburn, however has now backtracked on this commitment leaving more than 1000 workers with no certainty around their future.

At a time when NSW is experiencing record numbers of people on remand, with tougher bail laws and stronger action on domestic and family violence seeing more alleged serious offenders held in custody, the Government is investing to increase prison capacity.

Backed by a $47.1 million investment to recommission Dawn de Loas, and returning Parklea Correctional Centre back into public hands, the Government is bringing nearly 1,000 additional prison beds online across Sydney.

The Liberal Leader needs to explain where she intends to put the 1,200 prisoners and what will happen to the more than 1,000 staff displaced by her plan to close Long Bay. She also needs to explain when the redevelopment would occur, whether the land would be sold to the highest bidder, and what the transport plan is for what would become one of the most densely populated areas in the country.

The Minns Labor Government’s major planning reforms, including the Housing Delivery Authority, Transport Oriented Development and Low and Mid-Rise Housing reforms, are beginning to deliver results.

NSW recorded nearly 50,000 housing completions last financial year – the highest since 2020-21 and up 16 per cent year-on-year, compared with 2.8 per cent nationally.

The Government is also delivering more than 70 state led rezonings that could unlock more than 280,000 new homes and over 236,000 jobs.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“The Liberals’ plans for Long Bay fails on the most basic tests of planning logic – a housing proposal without transport, without social infrastructure and without jobs.

“Homes, jobs and transport infrastructure need to be connected and delivered together like the Minns Government is pursuing around Metro, heavy rail and light rail stations and in new suburbs like Bays West.

“Even if you put aside the lack of infrastructure planning and investment, displacement of crucial services, jobs and inmates this proposal doesn’t stack up, because it would at a minimum make Long Bay around three times as densely populated as Green Square, without the transport infrastructure to match. 

“With public exhibition of the Edgecliff and Woollahra rezoning proposal closing on Friday, the Liberal Leader should be upfront about her position on that proposal where there is transport capacity and a new station being built rather than trying to distract people with a proposal that is nothing more than an attempt to hide to the Liberal Party’s crab walking away from genuine housing plans.”

Minister for Housing Rose Jackson said:

“This plan would almost be funny if the scale of the housing crisis wasn’t so serious. It’s obvious that Kellie Sloane doesn’t want thousands of homes built in her electorate, but the people of NSW deserve a genuine alternative. 

“I am staunchly pro-housing so if there were billions of dollars sitting around to relocate this large, operational jail and build a heavy rail connection, then I might be able to get behind this plan – but I’m a realist and we need to be pragmatic in the current economic environment. 

“Our government is going to keep doing what we’ve been doing for the past three and a half years – planning new homes in well-located areas near transport and services and using our $6.6 billion investment to build new homes.”

Minister for Corrections Anoulack Chanthivong said:

“The Opposition's proposal is a thought bubble dressed up as housing policy.

"At the same time the Minns Labor Government is delivering nearly 1,000 additional prison beds across metropolitan Sydney to make sure violent offenders are kept off the streets, the Opposition wants to remove around 1,200 beds from the correctional system.

“Their proposal would cost well over $1 billion, displace more than 1,000 staff and create enormous uncertainty for the correctional system.

“Community safety requires a plan, and all the Opposition has offered is a headline.”