Decision details

Moved by Councillor Ellsmore, seconded by Councillor Thompson –

It is resolved that:

(A)       Council note:

(i)         in 2023, the NSW Labor Government was elected on a platform which opposed privatisation and endorsed the expansion of public housing in NSW as a central mechanism to address the housing crisis;

(ii)        the NSW Government has repeatedly announced that that it does not support the previous Liberal Government’s policy of funding public housing maintenance and renewal through the mass selling off of public housing properties and the sustained underfunding of maintenance of social housing;

(iii)       between 2017 and 2021, while 2,247 new social housing units were delivered, 3,269 properties were sold off under the former NSW Government, worsening the housing crisis;

(iv)       the current NSW Government has taken significant steps to reverse this trend through the Building Homes for NSW program, which as delivered the largest net increase in public housing in a decade. This includes approval for 70,000 new homes, a $1billion investment in maintenance, and bringing maintenance services back in-house;

(v)        the Program also includes delivery of dedicated key worker housing to support frontline workers with secure, affordable homes;

(vi)       there has been a significant increase in Homes NSW staffing levels to address the large backlog of maintenance work required to social housing properties in our area following years of inaction by the former NSW Government;

(vii)      there are currently close to 10,000 applications for the priority social housing list in addition to the over 45,000 applications already approved for social housing that are waiting;

(viii)    despite these positive initiatives, demand for public housing remains high in the inner city, with the expected waitlist for a 2-bedroom property over 10 years;

(ix)       the inner city is in particular need of family housing, with the expected waitlist for a 2-bedroom property over 10 years;

(x)        the percentage of public housing in the City of Sydney continues to decrease; and

(xi)       Homes NSW has recently put public housing homes up for private sale in Newtown;

(B)       Council also note in relation to public land and properties owned by the NSW Government:

(i)         in May 2023, the NSW Labor Government announced it was directing all state government agencies to immediately pause the sale of government properties to allow an audit to be undertaken to identify which, if any, properties could be “used to address the housing supply shortage”;

(ii)        the audit was to be undertaken by Property and Development NSW, with the assistance of the NSW Cabinet Office; and

(iii)       at the most recent NSW Budget Estimates in March this year, it was revealed that of the 9,089 sites assessed by the government (as at 28 January 2025,) only 56 have been identified as “suitable for housing development. This included some houses; and

(C)       the Lord Mayor be requested to urgently write to the NSW Minister for Housing, Rose Jackson:

(i)         commending the NSW Government’s significant investment in the maintenance of existing social housing to improve living conditions for residents;

(ii)        requesting an urgent briefing on any other public housing sales proposed for the City of Sydney area; and

(iii)       requesting that the NSW Government further prioritises new developments and maintenance of social housing in our area to address growing demand.

Amended motion carried unanimously.

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