Upper House knocks down Opposition’s home building block

14 August 2024

Young people, families and key workers can breathe a sigh of relief as Labor and the cross bench rejected the Opposition’s attempt to stop the delivery of thousands of well-located homes to address the housing crisis, with the defeat of the Liberals and Nationals TOD SEPP disallowance Bill this afternoon.

Despite the fact that 12 out of 13 councils came to an agreement with the Minns Government in April to deliver homes around 37 train stations, the Opposition sought to abolish the agreements and work against councils to deliver more homes for their local community.

Since the agreement, Development Applications are now able to be submitted at 23 TOD sites as councils have worked with the Government to create bespoke housing plans for their area.

The threat of abolition of these locations has created significant uncertainty on business investment confidence in building new homes in NSW.

This Opposition’s Bill directly put at risk up to 170,000 new homes over the next 15 years and risked hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs over this period.

Not content with abandoning young people and families by refusing to address the housing crisis, the Liberal National Opposition are now trying to confine another generation of young people and families to not being able to afford to rent or buy a home closer to their jobs and in the communities in which they want to live.

The Bill was the product of an opposition more interested in supporting a Nimby objection to more medium density housing around train stations than they are in addressing the housing affordability and availability, that was the product of their more than a decade in government.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“Across the political divide upper house members have said it’s time to get on with confronting the housing crisis.

“Not everyone may agree with all the fine details of the Government’s approach, but everyone agrees it’s time to end the uncertainty and build better homes and better communities for young people, families and key workers.

“This was a sad desperate stand by an Opposition with no plan to address the housing crisis and block the development of new homes for those in desperate need.

“Common sense has prevailed with recognition that the only way that homes will be more affordable and available to rent or to buy is to build more homes, and it makes sense to build them near transport, jobs, services and amenities.”