New South Wales could be on the cusp of another suite of housing reforms, following a report from the productivity commissioner. The premier had asked him to investigate the housing crisis, and his report makes more than 30 recommendations, including even higher density and lower design standards.
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00:00With NSW falling short of its housing targets, the State's Productivity Commissioner has
00:07offered up a raft of proposals.
00:09I've not seen the situation as bad as it is at the moment, but I do see green shoots.
00:15Current planning laws allow mid-rise apartment blocks within 400 metres of 37 train stations.
00:21The Productivity Commissioner recommends expanding that radius to 800 metres, and allowing high-rise
00:26buildings where feasible.
00:28We have to build over 6,000 new homes every month.
00:32That means building a house every seven minutes.
00:35The report earmarks both North Sydney and the eastern suburbs as highly profitable and
00:40ripe for higher-density developments.
00:42It also calls for 30,000 additional construction workers.
00:46The Government says that must come from both home and abroad.
00:49We've got to strike a balance that allows us to get the workforce we need to deliver
00:54the infrastructure, the housing and the services we need, as well as growing our own skills
00:59base.
01:00The truth is we've just taken steps, we need to take strides.
01:03And when you live in, except for Hong Kong, the most expensive city in the world, nothing
01:07short of a major reform is required to get housing going in NSW.
01:13If the recommendations are adopted, Sydney's lower North Shore could undergo huge changes.
01:18But some residents here are concerned that higher-density housing could lead to more
01:22traffic on local roads.
01:24No, I'm against it because it makes it just too crowded.
01:27Just forget it.
01:28No, we've got enough high-density in this area.
01:32The North Sydney Mayor isn't opposed to higher-density.
01:35She's concerned about one particular recommendation to lower design standards.
01:39You can deliver great design and affordable housing and we should be aspiring to do both.
01:44The Government will now decide which of the 32 recommendations to support.