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Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Rosehill saga another depressing chapter in Sydney's sorry housing story
If today's vote on the proposal to sell Rosehill Racecourse and replace it with 25,000 new dwellings and a metro station goes down in flames, the whole saga will serve as a textbook case study in why Sydney has little hope of ever coming to grips with the housing affordability crisis. Because for all the egos, personalities and politics involved, the debate over Rosehill's future comes down to a dynamic playing out across Sydney: the battle between an obvious need to boost housing stock and the stubborn opposition to any form of urban development. The Herald has been a strong supporter of the proposal to use Rosehill for housing. It is, as we have said many times before, a no-brainer. NSW has a target of building 75,000 new homes a year for the next five years under the National Housing Accord but is so far nowhere close to meeting that goal. The total number of houses and units approved in NSW in the 12 months to November 2024 was 42,109. We need to pick up the pace, and business as usual clearly won't cut it. The 60-hectare Rosehill site won't solve this problem alone, but it could make a big dint. It is in the geographic heart of Sydney. It is criminally underutilised. The new Metro West rail line will run underneath it and an additional station would allow new residents to travel to the CBD in less than 20 minutes. The sale proceeds would also allow racing authorities to invest heavily in upgraded and new facilities elsewhere. The Minns Labor government, which would buy the site from the Australian Turf Club under the proposed deal, has staked huge political capital on fixing the housing crisis and is therefore heavily incentivised to make the new suburb materialise – and quickly. So how has a no-brainer idea become so contentious, let alone at risk of being knocked back today? Blame rests with all sides. For its part, the ATC's pro-sale leadership fumbled making their case from the outset by failing to provide basic information about how the sale would occur, how the money would be spent and what the replacement facilities would look like. They have allowed a debate over a piece of land to become a de facto referendum on the polarising figures running the industry in NSW, and have used dubious campaign tactics to rally support for a 'yes' vote. The incompetence has been staggering. The Minns government has also strangely done little to make the case for change. On the other side, an influential group of wealthy trainers and breeders have co-ordinated the 'no' case. While the Save Rosehill coalition have successfully poked many holes in the ATC's shambolic campaign, they have had little to say about what should happen to the racing industry should the status quo prevail, have been driven by longstanding animosity towards the state racing industry's polarising leadership and have shown scant regard for the plight of Sydneysiders who can't afford a home. Rosehill's transformation from an under-utilised site into a new suburb could signify a major shift in the corrosive contest between progress and self-interest. Sadly, it looks like the latter will win the day when the votes of Australian Turf Club members are tallied. Once again, Sydney's younger generations are being disadvantaged by the decisions of those who already have a nice home (or homes) and have no interest in compromise or sacrifice.
The Age
7 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Rosehill saga another depressing chapter in Sydney's sorry housing story
If today's vote on the proposal to sell Rosehill Racecourse and replace it with 25,000 new dwellings and a metro station goes down in flames, the whole saga will serve as a textbook case study in why Sydney has little hope of ever coming to grips with the housing affordability crisis. Because for all the egos, personalities and politics involved, the debate over Rosehill's future comes down to a dynamic playing out across Sydney: the battle between an obvious need to boost housing stock and the stubborn opposition to any form of urban development. The Herald has been a strong supporter of the proposal to use Rosehill for housing. It is, as we have said many times before, a no-brainer. NSW has a target of building 75,000 new homes a year for the next five years under the National Housing Accord but is so far nowhere close to meeting that goal. The total number of houses and units approved in NSW in the 12 months to November 2024 was 42,109. We need to pick up the pace, and business as usual clearly won't cut it. The 60-hectare Rosehill site won't solve this problem alone, but it could make a big dint. It is in the geographic heart of Sydney. It is criminally underutilised. The new Metro West rail line will run underneath it and an additional station would allow new residents to travel to the CBD in less than 20 minutes. The sale proceeds would also allow racing authorities to invest heavily in upgraded and new facilities elsewhere. The Minns Labor government, which would buy the site from the Australian Turf Club under the proposed deal, has staked huge political capital on fixing the housing crisis and is therefore heavily incentivised to make the new suburb materialise – and quickly. So how has a no-brainer idea become so contentious, let alone at risk of being knocked back today? Blame rests with all sides. For its part, the ATC's pro-sale leadership fumbled making their case from the outset by failing to provide basic information about how the sale would occur, how the money would be spent and what the replacement facilities would look like. They have allowed a debate over a piece of land to become a de facto referendum on the polarising figures running the industry in NSW, and have used dubious campaign tactics to rally support for a 'yes' vote. The incompetence has been staggering. The Minns government has also strangely done little to make the case for change. On the other side, an influential group of wealthy trainers and breeders have co-ordinated the 'no' case. While the Save Rosehill coalition have successfully poked many holes in the ATC's shambolic campaign, they have had little to say about what should happen to the racing industry should the status quo prevail, have been driven by longstanding animosity towards the state racing industry's polarising leadership and have shown scant regard for the plight of Sydneysiders who can't afford a home. Rosehill's transformation from an under-utilised site into a new suburb could signify a major shift in the corrosive contest between progress and self-interest. Sadly, it looks like the latter will win the day when the votes of Australian Turf Club members are tallied. Once again, Sydney's younger generations are being disadvantaged by the decisions of those who already have a nice home (or homes) and have no interest in compromise or sacrifice.
West Australian
21-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
‘10.6 years': Dire reality for Aussies revealed in State of Housing System report
The Australian dream of homeownership is looking more hopeless than ever. A median-income household now needs to save for 10.6 years just to afford a deposit and start a whole new challenge of servicing a new mortgage, the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council's annual State of the Housing System 2025 report shows. It notes that mortgage repayments continue to increase faster than incomes, and affordability continues to deteriorate though at a slower pace compared with 2023. About 50 per cent of median household income was needed to meet repayments for new mortgages in 2024, according to the report. It does not look good for renters either, as 33 per cent of median wages are needed to meet rental costs in new leases. Rental stress has affected more than 50 per cent of lower-income renter households in 2023. Sixty per cent of these households also experienced stress the year before, showing how persistent the issue is. Only 14 per cent of new homes sold in 2023-2024 were affordable for the median-income household, the lowest on record. NSW residents have drawn the short straw, as new mortgages and home deposits remain the least affordable in Australia, whereas the Northern Territory has the most affordable mortgages and home deposits. Rents in regional Queensland were the least affordable, but rents in Canberra were the most affordable. New housing supply is the lowest in a decade, and the 1.2 million target for new houses to be completed during the Housing Accord period will not be met – even under optimistic economic estimates, the report says. No state or territory will meet their target, and supply is insufficient to meet underlying demand. The report has called for systemic reform, government support measures and industry innovation to address the issues, but the NSW government says it is heading in the right direction. 'The Minns Labor government inherited a system that was working against achieving the Housing Accord targets. It was also never assumed that, given macroeconomic conditions and the costs of construction, it would be a straight line between now and mid-2029,' Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said. 'We are turning around the system. Planning approvals are 15 per cent faster today than they were in March 2023, the number of applications lodged is up 28 per cent on the same time last year, and NSW has the most homes under construction in the country. 'There are thousands more homes and DAs being finalised that are embracing our planning reforms such as the Housing Delivery Authority and the low and mid-rise policy. We're building a pipeline that will actually deliver homes. 'The State of the Housing System report shows us that we have our work cut out for us, but as a government we've got our priorities right.' Weak supply has been attributed to a lack of commercial feasibility – it costs more for developers to build than what they would earn selling it. Elevated costs, labour shortages, high financing are all constraining supply but should be easing, the report says. Property Council chief executive Mike Zorbas said the report showed the need to increase productivity in the construction sector, simplify planning systems and encourage investment. 'The alarm bell continues to sound on national housing supply,' Mr Zorbas said. 'The sad fact is that many Australians feel that homeownership is out of reach. 'We have seen the federal and state governments co-ordinate their efforts on boosting supply, but more must be done. 'Our skills and planning systems are not yet match fit for this century. 'More than 30 per cent of the cost of a new home is government taxes and charges. 'East coast states have daft foreign investment taxes that are barbed wire to overseas institutions that want to send their money to help Australian companies build the assets our cities need. 'The least cost answer for indebted states is to modernise our planning systems and put measures in place to boost the proportion of skilled workers coming into the country. 'We need to bring forward federal environmental approvals and force power and water providers to stop delaying the delivery of new homes, industrial and commercial assets that our communities need as they grow.'
Epoch Times
13-05-2025
- Health
- Epoch Times
Former Australian PM Warns Expanded Abortion Bill an ‘Assault on Freedom of Conscience'
Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has described an impending New South Wales (NSW) abortion bill is another step towards cancelling religious faith in public institutions. The Greens Party-backed bill is aimed at expanding abortion access to ' Former leader Abbott spoke to a rally attended by hundreds of people outside NSW Parliament House on May 7. 'The Greens bill being debated in the NSW upper house—forcing health professionals to facilitate abortions—is a fundamental assault on freedom of conscience and a deep betrayal by the Minns Labor government,' Abbott posted The Abbott said it would leave Christian-based health service providers in a difficult situation. Related Stories 3/27/2024 3/21/2025 Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott holds a press conference in Canberra on Sept. 15, 2015.'It's designed to force Catholic and other Christian, other religious hospitals, out of the healthcare system, unless they have to sacrifice their principles,' he said in an interview on 'It's really about cancelling faith in our public life.' 'It's a terrible milestone in the decline of our society and it's a fundamental assault on freedom of conscience,' Abbott said. Amendments on the legislation were debated in the NSW Legislative Council on May 8, and still needs to go to the House of Assembly. Abbott said he expects this will happen next week. What Else is in the Bill? The Abortion Law Reform Amendment (Health Care Access) It expands authority to nurses and midwives to prescribe abortion drugs (including MS-2), and obligates the health minister to make sure abortion services are within a 'reasonable distance' of residents' homes. The new bill also removes mandatory reporting requirements for healthcare practitioners. Greens Claim Abortion is 'Health Care' Greens NSW spokesperson for Health Amanda Cohn, who introduced the bill, claimed 'abortion is health care.' 'Abortion is an essential component of comprehensive reproductive health care, as affirmed by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists as well as Australia's National Women's Health Strategy,' she said in her She said in recent months there had been widespread reporting of heartbreaking stories about people being refused care at regional public hospitals. 'In December, NSW Health apologised to patients affected by limitations on abortion services at public hospitals, including in Queanbeyan and Orange,' she said. 'The Minister for Health intervened in those cases, and I am grateful for that intervention, but the current legislative and regulatory framework for abortion in New South Wales allows that to keep happening.' NSW MP Says Australia Should Push for More Children, Not Less Outside the steps of Parliament House, upper house Libertarian MP John Ruddick said Australia was going through a 'baby drought' and historically low birth rates. 'We should be encouraging life as much as possible. It's a massive crisis. We should be encouraging babies not aborting them.' Ruddick also said that it was important to mobilise the pro life movement in this country. 'We often hear about the most vulnerable in society. We often hear that there's a competition to see who's the most vulnerable in society. It's very obvious who wins that competition. It's the little baby in the womb,' he said. 'Because the little baby, the little baby is voiceless and defenseless. But we know they want to grow. We know that they want to live because they keep growing. And every single person here had a mother who said I want to keep this child.'
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Music festival pill testing trial set to begin
A major music festival will be the first to take part in a state government-driven pill testing trial, aimed at helping people make "safer choices". The trial will commence at the Yours and Owls Festival taking place on March 1-2 in Wollongong on the NSW south coast. The Minns Labor government announced in December it would allow a 12-month trial of pill-testing at music festivals - a practice some other states have already adopted and expanded - in NSW from early 2025. "Let me be clear, no level of illicit drug use is safe and pill testing services do not provide a guarantee of safety," Health Minister Ryan Park said on Wednesday. "However, this trial has been designed to provide people with the necessary information to make more informed decisions about drug use, with the goal of reducing drug-related harm and saving lives." The free and anonymous service will allow festival goers to bring a small sample of substances they intend to consume to be analysed by qualified health staff to test for purity, potency and adulterants. The government stressed "people will never be advised a drug is safe to use". NSW Health and NSW Police are working closely with festival organisers and other stakeholders to set up the March trial. "Pill testing is something we have been fighting for, for some time now," Ben Tillman, from Yours and Owls, said in a statement. "While Yours and Owls maintains a zero-tolerance policy to illegal drugs, we are realists and see the abstinence-only approach as unhelpful." Mr Tillman said pill testing was a proven harm minimisation strategy that had been successfully implemented in many countries for about 20 years.
