$1 homes set to change Sydney landscape
Homes built following the eights designs in the pattern book will only take 10 days to get approval and will bypass much of the council red tape that's contributed to significant housing backlogs.
The designs range from terraces, townhouses and manor homes and will cost $1,000 to use, but the NSW government has promised to charge just $1 for those using the designs over the first six months of the program.
A media release announcing the designs revealed that these charges will help those building new homes bypass an estimated $20,000 in fees for custom architecture.
The announcement follows the launch of an international pattern book design competition in 2024, with the state government endorsing eight designs for families, young people and downsizers.
NSW Premier Chris Minns and Minister of Planning Spaces Paul Scully revealed that the designs were aimed at accelerating the development of affordable and sustainable housing.
Each design will be adaptable for different family sizes and housing needs, including different room formations and layout. The government claimed in the release that this would help create vibrant diverse communities.
Each design purchase will come with a complimentary Landscape Pattern to help new homeowners design gardens.
'This Pattern Book is about giving people more choice, faster approvals and affordable, high-quality homes – whether you're a young person trying to get in, a family needing more space, or a downsizer looking to stay close to the community you know,' Mr Minns stated in the release.
'This is a practical step to make the housing system fairer – and make sure NSW remains a place where the next generation can live and thrive.'
The delivery of homes through the pattern book is further supported by the Minns Government's Low and Mid-Rise Housing reforms aimed to make terraces, townhouses and
manor houses broadly permissible across NSW.
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West Australian
4 hours ago
- West Australian
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese lands in China's medical capital Chengdu, Port Darwin stance hangs in the air
Anthony Albanese will top his China charm offensive on Thursday with panda diplomacy and spruiking Australia's prowess in the Medical Technology sector after landing in the Sichuan capital Chengdu. Mr Albanese will tour a Cochlear manufacturing and research facility to showcase 'Australian ingenuity, inventiveness and know-how' as he enters the final leg of a six-day tour to turbocharge Australia's economic ties with its largest trading partner. China is one of Cochlear's top five markets, having helped treat 50,000 Chinese patients with hearing loss, and the Sydney-based company launched its Chengdu production facility and international hearing research, innovation and service centre in 2021. Australia is the world's second largest producer of Medtech patents, and the third largest medical device market in the Indo-Pacific, with more than 850 firms and a total market value exceeding $10.5 billion. 'Australian and Chinese researchers, hospitals and universities are driving remarkable progress in every field of medical technology,' Mr Albanese will tell a lunch reception of top healthcare and biomedical tech leaders, including Nobel Laureate Prof Barry Marshall, whose research has revolutionised the treatment of stomach ulcers. Mr Albanese is the first Prime Minister to visit Chengdu since Bob Hawke in 1986, in a three-city tour that has been warmly received by a Chinese government pushing for closer trade ties with Australia as a buffer against the disruption of US trade tariffs. However, clouds remain on the horizon. Earlier on Wednesday, the Prime Minister was forced to dismiss suggestions Australian business could be iced out of the Chinese market over the Government's decision to put the strategic port of Darwin back into Australia's hands. Chinese objections to Labor's election promise to overturn the awarding of a 99-year lease of the port to the Beijing-owned Landbridge group have loomed over Mr Albanese's red carpet reception this week, with state media repeatedly highlighting the controversy. Mr Albanese on Wednesday confirmed that the sale of the port had not been raised directly with him in talks with Premier Li Qiang or Chinese President Xi Jinping, who offered a rare lunch invitation to the Prime Minister and fiancee Jodie Haydon. Mr Li was effusive about the potential for stronger trade ties at a roundtable of Chinese and Australian business leaders in the imposing Great Hall of the People on Tuesday but alluded to the point of contention by urging Australia to create a 'non-discriminatory business environment.' 'We hope that the Australian side will treat Chinese enterprises visiting Australia fairly and properly solve the problems encountered by enterprises in market access, investment review, and other aspects,' Mr Li said. The Global Times, a state-run media outlet, was more direct. 'At present, there are specific issues between China and Australia that need to be discussed, such as the lease of Darwin Port and the expansion of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement,' it said. 'There are also practical obstacles, especially the tendencies toward 'pan-politicisation' and 'pan-securitisation,' as well as interference from third parties,' it continued in an otherwise glowing account of Mr Albanese's trip so far. Asked during a press conference on the Great Wall of China on Wednesday if he was prepared for Australia to be put back into the deep freeze on the issue, Mr Albanese responded with a straight, 'the answer is no'. The Prime Minister's trip has been centred on repairing business and trade ties after a diplomatic spat under the Morrison government triggered a series of damaging import bans on key commodities, which have since been lifted. Labor has stressed, however, that it will not budge over the cancelling of the Landbridge lease for national security reasons. Mr Albanese told reporters that this was a longheld position 'shouldn't come as any surprise.' However, Chinese officials have protested against changes made to the Foreign Investment Review Board under the previous Government after the port lease was awarded to a Chinese-state owned operator by the Northern Territory authorities. The Government has rejected Beijing's suggestions that Chinese companies are unfairly targeted by rules requiring greater scrutiny in sensitive investment areas. Ahead of Mr Albanese's trip, the Government indicated it would not be prepared to ease restrictions or to accede to Chinese requests for greater cooperation on artificial intelligence capabilities. 'We have a case by case issue when it comes to foreign investment,' said Mr Albanese. 'It is viewed not on the basis of any one country, but on the basis of an objective assessment of our national interest.' He added, 'One of the things that I emphasise - I say the same thing in Beijing as I say in Bankstown - which is that the Australian Government supports free and fair trade. It's in the interests of the world to have free and fair trade, and we'll continue to engage that way.' The Prime Minister also revealed Communist Party Chairman Zhao Leji had agreed to an invitation to lead a National People's Congress delegation to Australia. 'It is very clear that it is in our national interest for us to have a positive relationship with China, where there are differences, to talk about them, but not be defined by them,' he said. Later on Wednesday afternnon, the Prime Minister donned his Akubra hat and to battle stifling humidity at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre, where he oversaw an announcement that the city will host the Asia-Pacific Wild Card Playoffs for the 2026 Australian Open. There was 'no better way' to improve people to people and cultural links between Australia and China than the iconic Australian Open, Mr Albanese told an audience including Australian Open Champion John Fitzgerald, Tennis Australia's Vicki Reid, Governor Shi Xiaolin and rows of young tennis players.
The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Dollar dazzler designs no silver bullet for housing woe
Slick housing designs costing less than an ice cream are being deployed to get more homes built, but detractors have dubbed the promotion a "thirst trap". The "pattern book" of low-rise designs including terraces, townhouses and manor houses could be ticked off for construction in 10 days. The designs, whipped up by internationally renowned architects as part of a NSW government competition, will be available for $1 for the first six months. They then rise to $1000, still well below the going rate. The government estimates the designs would typically cost upwards of $20,000 if commissioned from an architect. Premier Chris Minns has repeatedly blamed a sluggish planning system for poor progress on nationally agreed housing targets. NSW has produced six houses per 1000 people each year compared with Victoria's eight and Queensland's 10, he said. "Ask anybody for the last 20 years in NSW how frustrating it has been to get approval for a family home, they'll all say the same thing, it is impossible," Mr Minns told reporters on Wednesday. "We are falling behind when it comes to new development completions, alongside the fact that we are one of the most expensive cities on earth." The NSW scheme will have wider availability and lower up-front fees than a Victorian strategy which was limited to a single council area, Mr Minns said. But acting Opposition Leader Damien Tudehope said the pattern book plans were governed by "glossy brochures". "(It's) almost like a thirst trap," he told reporters. "We have scantily clad people as part of the brochure." Mr Tudehope questioned the claimed 10-day approval but said councils should tick off all types of housing faster. The state remains behind its target to build 377,000 new homes by July 2029 under a national housing agreement. The premier acknowledged in an address to the McKell Institute on Wednesday getting 75,000 homes off the ground each year remains a tall order. But he didn't mind the challenge. "It puts pressure on the government, and therefore pressure on local councils and pressure on developers and the Reserve Bank and everything to really start thinking," Mr Minns said. The design plans coincide with the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing an increase in construction starts in the first three months of 2025. More than 47,000 new home builds commenced in that time, a 17 per cent increase on the same period in 2024. University of NSW architecture professor Philip Oldfield lauded the "high quality architectural designs" as a step towards expediting approvals. But he warns governments need to be more ambitious and holistic to overcome "structural and endemic" issues stemming from tax policies and complex regulations. "Everyone's looking for a silver bullet rather than actually planning for the future," he told AAP. "The cost to build a home and the cost of the land is quite high ... so it's short-sighted to expect the private development model to solve all our problems." The NSW government has allocated billions in recent budgets to build and refurbish social housing as well as helping private developers meet pre-sales targets and secure finance to build apartment buildings. Building designers backed the release of the pattern book but called for more formal involvement in future iterations, saying architects design fewer than five per cent of residences in NSW. "(Building designers) deliver the vast bulk of housing in NSW ... their input is essential," Building Designers Association of Australia chief executive Chris Knierim said. Slick housing designs costing less than an ice cream are being deployed to get more homes built, but detractors have dubbed the promotion a "thirst trap". The "pattern book" of low-rise designs including terraces, townhouses and manor houses could be ticked off for construction in 10 days. The designs, whipped up by internationally renowned architects as part of a NSW government competition, will be available for $1 for the first six months. They then rise to $1000, still well below the going rate. The government estimates the designs would typically cost upwards of $20,000 if commissioned from an architect. Premier Chris Minns has repeatedly blamed a sluggish planning system for poor progress on nationally agreed housing targets. NSW has produced six houses per 1000 people each year compared with Victoria's eight and Queensland's 10, he said. "Ask anybody for the last 20 years in NSW how frustrating it has been to get approval for a family home, they'll all say the same thing, it is impossible," Mr Minns told reporters on Wednesday. "We are falling behind when it comes to new development completions, alongside the fact that we are one of the most expensive cities on earth." The NSW scheme will have wider availability and lower up-front fees than a Victorian strategy which was limited to a single council area, Mr Minns said. But acting Opposition Leader Damien Tudehope said the pattern book plans were governed by "glossy brochures". "(It's) almost like a thirst trap," he told reporters. "We have scantily clad people as part of the brochure." Mr Tudehope questioned the claimed 10-day approval but said councils should tick off all types of housing faster. The state remains behind its target to build 377,000 new homes by July 2029 under a national housing agreement. The premier acknowledged in an address to the McKell Institute on Wednesday getting 75,000 homes off the ground each year remains a tall order. But he didn't mind the challenge. "It puts pressure on the government, and therefore pressure on local councils and pressure on developers and the Reserve Bank and everything to really start thinking," Mr Minns said. The design plans coincide with the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing an increase in construction starts in the first three months of 2025. More than 47,000 new home builds commenced in that time, a 17 per cent increase on the same period in 2024. University of NSW architecture professor Philip Oldfield lauded the "high quality architectural designs" as a step towards expediting approvals. But he warns governments need to be more ambitious and holistic to overcome "structural and endemic" issues stemming from tax policies and complex regulations. "Everyone's looking for a silver bullet rather than actually planning for the future," he told AAP. "The cost to build a home and the cost of the land is quite high ... so it's short-sighted to expect the private development model to solve all our problems." The NSW government has allocated billions in recent budgets to build and refurbish social housing as well as helping private developers meet pre-sales targets and secure finance to build apartment buildings. Building designers backed the release of the pattern book but called for more formal involvement in future iterations, saying architects design fewer than five per cent of residences in NSW. "(Building designers) deliver the vast bulk of housing in NSW ... their input is essential," Building Designers Association of Australia chief executive Chris Knierim said. Slick housing designs costing less than an ice cream are being deployed to get more homes built, but detractors have dubbed the promotion a "thirst trap". The "pattern book" of low-rise designs including terraces, townhouses and manor houses could be ticked off for construction in 10 days. The designs, whipped up by internationally renowned architects as part of a NSW government competition, will be available for $1 for the first six months. They then rise to $1000, still well below the going rate. The government estimates the designs would typically cost upwards of $20,000 if commissioned from an architect. Premier Chris Minns has repeatedly blamed a sluggish planning system for poor progress on nationally agreed housing targets. NSW has produced six houses per 1000 people each year compared with Victoria's eight and Queensland's 10, he said. "Ask anybody for the last 20 years in NSW how frustrating it has been to get approval for a family home, they'll all say the same thing, it is impossible," Mr Minns told reporters on Wednesday. "We are falling behind when it comes to new development completions, alongside the fact that we are one of the most expensive cities on earth." The NSW scheme will have wider availability and lower up-front fees than a Victorian strategy which was limited to a single council area, Mr Minns said. But acting Opposition Leader Damien Tudehope said the pattern book plans were governed by "glossy brochures". "(It's) almost like a thirst trap," he told reporters. "We have scantily clad people as part of the brochure." Mr Tudehope questioned the claimed 10-day approval but said councils should tick off all types of housing faster. The state remains behind its target to build 377,000 new homes by July 2029 under a national housing agreement. The premier acknowledged in an address to the McKell Institute on Wednesday getting 75,000 homes off the ground each year remains a tall order. But he didn't mind the challenge. "It puts pressure on the government, and therefore pressure on local councils and pressure on developers and the Reserve Bank and everything to really start thinking," Mr Minns said. The design plans coincide with the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing an increase in construction starts in the first three months of 2025. More than 47,000 new home builds commenced in that time, a 17 per cent increase on the same period in 2024. University of NSW architecture professor Philip Oldfield lauded the "high quality architectural designs" as a step towards expediting approvals. But he warns governments need to be more ambitious and holistic to overcome "structural and endemic" issues stemming from tax policies and complex regulations. "Everyone's looking for a silver bullet rather than actually planning for the future," he told AAP. "The cost to build a home and the cost of the land is quite high ... so it's short-sighted to expect the private development model to solve all our problems." The NSW government has allocated billions in recent budgets to build and refurbish social housing as well as helping private developers meet pre-sales targets and secure finance to build apartment buildings. Building designers backed the release of the pattern book but called for more formal involvement in future iterations, saying architects design fewer than five per cent of residences in NSW. "(Building designers) deliver the vast bulk of housing in NSW ... their input is essential," Building Designers Association of Australia chief executive Chris Knierim said. Slick housing designs costing less than an ice cream are being deployed to get more homes built, but detractors have dubbed the promotion a "thirst trap". The "pattern book" of low-rise designs including terraces, townhouses and manor houses could be ticked off for construction in 10 days. The designs, whipped up by internationally renowned architects as part of a NSW government competition, will be available for $1 for the first six months. They then rise to $1000, still well below the going rate. The government estimates the designs would typically cost upwards of $20,000 if commissioned from an architect. Premier Chris Minns has repeatedly blamed a sluggish planning system for poor progress on nationally agreed housing targets. NSW has produced six houses per 1000 people each year compared with Victoria's eight and Queensland's 10, he said. "Ask anybody for the last 20 years in NSW how frustrating it has been to get approval for a family home, they'll all say the same thing, it is impossible," Mr Minns told reporters on Wednesday. "We are falling behind when it comes to new development completions, alongside the fact that we are one of the most expensive cities on earth." The NSW scheme will have wider availability and lower up-front fees than a Victorian strategy which was limited to a single council area, Mr Minns said. But acting Opposition Leader Damien Tudehope said the pattern book plans were governed by "glossy brochures". "(It's) almost like a thirst trap," he told reporters. "We have scantily clad people as part of the brochure." Mr Tudehope questioned the claimed 10-day approval but said councils should tick off all types of housing faster. The state remains behind its target to build 377,000 new homes by July 2029 under a national housing agreement. The premier acknowledged in an address to the McKell Institute on Wednesday getting 75,000 homes off the ground each year remains a tall order. But he didn't mind the challenge. "It puts pressure on the government, and therefore pressure on local councils and pressure on developers and the Reserve Bank and everything to really start thinking," Mr Minns said. The design plans coincide with the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing an increase in construction starts in the first three months of 2025. More than 47,000 new home builds commenced in that time, a 17 per cent increase on the same period in 2024. University of NSW architecture professor Philip Oldfield lauded the "high quality architectural designs" as a step towards expediting approvals. But he warns governments need to be more ambitious and holistic to overcome "structural and endemic" issues stemming from tax policies and complex regulations. "Everyone's looking for a silver bullet rather than actually planning for the future," he told AAP. "The cost to build a home and the cost of the land is quite high ... so it's short-sighted to expect the private development model to solve all our problems." The NSW government has allocated billions in recent budgets to build and refurbish social housing as well as helping private developers meet pre-sales targets and secure finance to build apartment buildings. Building designers backed the release of the pattern book but called for more formal involvement in future iterations, saying architects design fewer than five per cent of residences in NSW. "(Building designers) deliver the vast bulk of housing in NSW ... their input is essential," Building Designers Association of Australia chief executive Chris Knierim said.
Sky News AU
6 hours ago
- Sky News AU
‘Us or them, Prime Minister?': Albanese under pressure amid Aus-China Annual Leaders' meeting
Sky News host Peta Credlin discusses Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's talks with Chinese officials amid the Australia-China Annual Leaders' Meeting. 'Back to Beijing for a moment, the PM was able to avoid discussing the Port of Darwin because, he says, it wasn't raised in his meeting with the Chinese president,' Ms Credlin said. 'But it seems that his Chinese hosts were running a bit of a 'good cop, bad cop' routine, with Xi Jinping mostly inscrutable Chinese sweetness and light, and the tough stuff mostly left for Anthony Albanese's direct counterpart, China's Number Two, Lee Chung. 'Clearly, this was a rebuke of our policies on foreign investment, especially on any business with links to the Chinese Communist Party. 'Either he honours his election commitment to restore the Port of Darwin to Australian ownership, or he looks like he's caved in to the communist Chinese. 'So, what's it to be – us or them, Prime Minister?
