Zali Steggall (Warringah, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Housing is vital for us to maintain a strong and vibrant economy and society. But, in my electorate of Warringah, it still remains an ongoing and pressing issue, as it is in many other places around the country. In our basic hierarchies of need, safety is paramount. Feeling safe means we have systems to support us, to ensure the safety of our families and loved ones, and this has to start with secure and affordable housing.

My office has a housing survey open to better understand the views of Warringah on the measures that could play a key role in addressing housing supply and demand, so I encourage everyone across Warringah to have their say before the survey closes. So far, we've heard from many different people in the community who've been locked out of buying a home and who are struggling to afford rent. These are the people who deliver our essential services, young families and our renting retirees. We've heard from local business who rely on workers on visas and who cannot get housing for their employees close to their work. So the problem is widespread.

In areas like North Sydney and Crows Nest, they are looking to build more than 7,000 residences over the next five years, which will provide some critical access to Sydney Metro. But we need to do more than just focus on construction to increase supply. We know that you also have to do much more around the better utilisation of the current housing stock that we have. So I call on the government to commit to meaningful reform when it comes to tax and utilisation to make sure we increase supply through all means.

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