2025-02-10
Labor has bowed to pressure from community advocates and The Greens, committing to deliver affordable housing at the former WestConnex site on Parramatta Road.
This welcome news comes after the government initially refused to deliver any social, affordable, or public housing on this site.
Kobi Shetty MP for Balmain said:
“The NSW Labor Government has been dragged kicking and screaming to deliver much needed affordable housing here in Camperdown. This will be incredibly welcome news to the countless people struggling to find an affordable place to call home.
“With the RPA hospital right around the corner, this site is calling out for affordable key worker housing so we can keep essential workers including nurses and teachers here in our city.
“While this is a step in the right direction, it still doesn’t go far enough. This is publicly owned land and it’s shameful that Labor is still refusing to deliver any public housing.
“Across the state we have almost 60,000 vulnerable households on the waitlist for housing – more than 1600 here in the Inner West alone. This is a missed opportunity to provide a much-needed increase to our public housing stock. We will keep pushing Labor to deliver public housing for our community.
The NSW Labor Government could use funding from the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) to ensure that the remaining 300 dwellings that are not Build to Rent, are set aside for public housing.
Jenny Leong MP for Newtown and Greens spokesperson on housing said:
“Eight months ago, Labor unveiled plans for 100 private homes on this piece of public land – now, after massive pushback from the community and the Greens they’re delivering more than five times this amount.
“We welcome more homes to solve the housing crisis, but these homes must be genuinely affordable, and public land must be used for public housing.
“More housing for essential workers is welcome, but NSW Labor needs to be up front about how they will ensure this is genuinely affordable. And they’re still selling off public land: Build to Rent is essentially privatised public housing without rent regulation and does little to ensure people aren’t in housing stress.
“Relying on the private market to solve the housing crisis that it created is futile. The Greens will continue working with communities to push for urgent, ambitious investment in public housing on public land.”