Mark Speakman
Leader of the Opposition
Scott Farlow
Shadow Minister for Planning and Public Spaces
Shadow Minister for Housing
Shadow Minister for Cities
The Minns Labor Government’s plans to address Sydney’s housing affordability crisis is failing, with their own plans being thrown into chaos, with mixed messages on its proposed re-zoning across Sydney causing confusion and inaction.
The NSW Opposition is calling on the Minns Government to concede its approach hasn’t worked, and has called on it to work with communities to implement a better plan to deliver much-needed housing.
Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said Labor’s arrogant, lazy one-size-fits-all approach is falling apart.
“It has now been reported that the Minns Labor Government is telling some councils that they can have an extension, while telling others may be able to ignore the Transport Oriented Development State Environmental Planning Policy altogether,” Mr Speakman said.
“If Chris Minns had consulted with local communities from the start, instead of telling them to ‘get out of the way’, we would be down a constructive path to delivering more housing instead of his Government having to make concessions because its approach is falling apart.”
Shadow Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Scott Farlow said that with the chaos around Minns Government’s plans, it needed to answer ten key questions about the status of its mishandled reforms.
“Addressing the housing crisis will require a clarity of vision and policy, as well as co-operation with local communities, and that can only come with complete transparency on the part of the Minns Government about its planning reforms,” said Mr Farlow.
Ten questions the Minns Labor Government must answer:
1. What are the Government’s housing targets for this year and for the next four?
2. What is the definition of a town centre under the proposed low-and mid-rise changes?
3. When will the Government make land available for development that has been identified by its Land Audit?
4. What are its infrastructure plans for roads, school and hospitals around the newly rezoned sites?
5. Has the Minns Government made any progress on the Vacant Housing Audit to which it committed?
6. Has the Government’s Rosehill MoU with the ATC lapsed?
7. When will Councils receive their housing targets?
8. Which Councils will get an extension for the provision of the TOD SEPP as it comes into effect?
9. After Chris Minns abolished the Western Sydney Parkland Authority and the Greater Sydney Commission, will he just recreate these agencies under a different name?
10. When will the Government release the infrastructure priorities list for its $1.5 billion tax on new homes?
