NSW Premier Chris Minns says housing ‘standing in the way' of young people's happiness
The Premier told the McKell Institute panel at the NAB headquarters in Sydney's CBD on Wednesday afternoon that young people in NSW were being stopped 'from living a good life' because they could not find a 'decent home'.
It comes after the NSW government formally launched its low-rise Housing Pattern Book, a selection of eight architecturally-approved townhouses and terraces, designs for which will be sold for the first six months for $1.
The Labor government hopes the project will join other existing initiatives in boosting housing supply, a key issues Mr Minns said was standing in the way of 'fairness' and young NSW residents being able to find a home.
'If you care about fairness, you have to start with the biggest problem of all, and that is housing,' he said.
'A single problem that also undermines social mobility, makes people work longer and harder for less reward, and even in its most acute forms, can threaten faith in democracy and our system of government.'
Mr Minns said 'because of our failure on housing policy' NSW residents were being forced to move further away from friends and work.
He told the progressive institute Labor differed from the Greens because they 'understand the reality that there is a massive role in for the private industry, supporting government planning decisions, putting their own capital on the line, (and) building homes for the next generation.
'It's where we differ from other political parties in NSW as well, who seem to want to preserve Sydney as if it was a national museum, while also adding another street to the western fringe of Sydney every other week,' he said.
'My ultimate aim is that other political parties join us in a bipartisan change to the planning Act that we can push through the parliament.
'But, if it's only going to be us, that's fine too, because we will take it to the election campaign and earn a mandate for major change in NSW when it comes to planning for the most expensive city on Earth.'
Housing has been a key sticking point for the NSW government, with the Premier lamenting the number of young people leaving the state.
Despite defending the Commonwealth Government housing targets, which are set to missed by a considerable margin, Mr Minns 'not against picking a fight with Canberra or whoever stands in the way of it (planning reform)'.
'I just think that we had to get our own house in order before we started picking fights or two fights with everybody else about housing,' he said.
Reflecting on planning regulation under previous state governments, Mr Minns accused them of having replaced an 'an actual decision … with either blaming the Commonwealth, or immigration, in particular, Sydney's full and other rhetorical devices, or blaming councils and saying, well, not speeding up developments now.'
Mr Minns also made a gentle swipe at WA, who Treasurer Daniel Moohkey has also singled out over the GST carve up.
Speaking on WA's budget surplus, Mr Minns said the state was 'one of the richest states in the world'.
'Almost like a Petro state in the Middle East, and for largely the same reason,' he said.
'They just dig stuff out of the ground and sell it off to Asia.'
States currently receive at least 75c per dollar of GST.
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