Kylea Tink (North Sydney, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

In rising to speak to the motion moved by the member for Higgins on the critically important topic of the nation's housing policy, I want to offer the observation that Higgins and North Sydney have a lot in common. Like North Sydney, in 2022 Higgins voters felt that the then government wasn't listening to them and in turn they voted to see politics done differently. What this should mean is genuine, transparent and non-politically motivated debate on how to get better outcomes for communities, but, sadly, this has not been the case. In an area as complex as housing, we all need to admit that we won't find perfect solutions overnight, but this should not stop us from being ambitious and having the debate.

In North Sydney many are facing extreme frustrations in finding an affordable and suitable home to rent or buy. The reality is property prices and lack of availability mean that most people who work in the electorate don't actually live there. Most notably, essential workers, including those in the health and aged-care sectors and teaching sectors, are literally having to travel sometimes up to an hour just to get to work. As a result, not surprisingly, many are taking roles in other communities.

Housing has become a fundamental issue of equity between homeowners and renters, between workers and residents and across generations. As I've previously stated in this place, the Housing Affordability Future Fund is a step in the right direction but it's a very small and very unambitious step. Revitalising our public and affordable housing stock is critically important and we need to commit more public and private sector funding towards the challenge over the longer term, but that's just one piece of the puzzle. Other parts of the puzzle include rental property quality and security. In a recent survey we conducted on the rental experience, one of my constituents said:

Our rental has no heating or cooling, it is damp and we had a mould problem for months. We are often feeling unwell due to the cold. But we can't move because it is too hard to find rentals.

Another constituent told me:

We are afraid to bother our landlord with simple repair tasks, such as faulty storage, for fear of reprisal.

This government has proclaimed that it is working with the states' housing ministers to help develop more aligned rental laws that address tenancy rights. However, there is little transparency over this process. Consequently the people of North Sydney remain in the dark about whether those discussions will result in tangible improvements to people's current living situations. I receive complaints from people regularly about substandard rental quality. In this context I ask the government to let the people of North Sydney know how much of this new funding, whether it be via the HAFF or via the housing accelerator fund, will go towards basic maintenance of our existing social housing stock. In the end, efficiency can be just as important as availability and affordability, as we seek to build true equity.

There are 51,000 people on the waiting list for social housing in New South Wales. I am yet to develop any true assurance that this government's policies are going to make a meaningful dent in that number. Building more homes won't be easy. The level of building approvals for new homes is now lower than it has been in 10 years, and home building costs are the highest. We don't have enough skilled tradespeople to meet demand. We must provide the right training to address these shortages and ensure our immigration system brings the workers that we need into our country. These issues are systemic and go beyond the current housing crisis debate.

For these reasons, housing policy experts have been calling for strategic long-term planning for housing for many years. But this complex ecosystem is full of vested interests. Every time we look at more ambitious changes—be they reviewing tax settings, better aligning transport and service infrastructure planning or raising expectations on developers to guarantee affordable housing—vested interests swoop in and throw their weight around, often leading to a poorer outcome for our community.

With all of this said, I do support the HAFF Bill and getting the Housing Supply and Affordability Council up and running so that they can look at a range of out-of-the-box solutions and help break the current gridlock. I do not underestimate the size of the challenge ahead. We need to have an honest discussion not dominated by political posturing. Housing policy should be about a safe and adequate home for all, not a political football.

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