Regional community organisation Housing Trust will once again use the NSW council elections on 14 September to ask all candidates about their policies and commitment to increasing the supply of affordable rental housing.
“Political and community attitudes have changed enormously since we asked the candidates in the 2017 council elections to pledge their support to increasing affordable rental housing. We asked again in 2021. We’ve been ignored and sometimes disparaged for years but that’s no longer the case,” said Housing Trust Managing Director, Michele Adair.
“Each of our four regional councils has acknowledged they can and must use their local planning and approval powers for good,” added Adair.
Housing Trust will survey all the candidates standing for the election in Kiama, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven and Wollongong local government areas. Candidates are being asked about their policies and the results will be published and used to help hold the successful candidates accountable once they take up their positions.
“We’re genuinely committed to working with our councils to deliver better housing solutions, faster. Quite a lot of good work has started but we can’t relax or allow the councils to wait for state and federal government initiatives. We need local action, not just words on a page and speeches in meetings.’’
Following the success of previous candidate briefings, Housing Trust will invite all candidates to bipartisan online events. These events will provide information and answer questions on what Adair acknowledges as a complex and sensitive issue.
“Change starts by increasing the awareness and understanding all of the levers available to councils at a local level,” Adair noted.
The Illawarra Shoalhaven region needs to build an additional 58,000 homes by 2041. The NSW state government has set progress targets for each council: 900 in Kiama, 3,800 in Shellharbour, 4,900 in Shoalhaven and 9,200 in the Wollongong LGA.
“Where these homes are built, and how we make them affordable and appropriate to the changing needs of our community, the economy and climate requires courageous leadership. We need councillors who welcome quality development applications and support construction.’’
Housing Trust is also updating the scorecard issued for each council in 2021. ‘’We want to acknowledge the positive changes that have occurred and stay focused on continuous improvement.”
