Infrastructure, social welfare sectors welcome social housing MOU

Infrastructure Partnerships Australia and the Council of Social Service of NSW (NCOSS) have today welcomed the New South Wales Government’s in-principle support for a $1 billion incentive fund to support new social and affordable housing investment.

The announcement comes after Infrastructure Partnerships Australia and NCOSS joined forces to propose a new approach to addressing social and affordable housing shortages in NSW.

Comments attributable to Tracy Howe, CEO, NCOSS:

“Today's announcement from Premier Mike Baird is the spark we badly needed to jump-start growth in social and affordable housing in this state.

“Access to social housing is one of the most important drivers for addressing poverty and disadvantage. Yet there are nearly 60,000 households on the waiting list to access social housing in NSW, waiting times are over 10 years in a number of areas and affordable housing options are scarce.

“A fund to leverage $1 billion in new housing stock is a commitment that will genuinely start solving this growing problem.

“We welcome Infrastructure Partnerships Australia's commitment to developing an innovative solution to the social housing shortage in NSW and working with us to see it become a reality.

“We are now hoping for a commitment from all sides of politics to invest in social and affordable housing.

“A clear, funded plan supported by all sides of politics is needed to fix the issue in the long term.”

Comments attributable to IPA CEO, Brendan Lyon:

“We are very pleased that our partnership with the NSW Government and NCOSS has delivered a real commitment to a $1 billion incentive fund to bring new social and affordable housing forward.

“Social housing has been under pressure for years, but is easily overlooked because it's hard to fix without money.

“This commitment should show the community that the lease of the poles and wires is fundamental to fixing chronic problems, like the lack of good social housing stock and poor transport connections.

“We are very pleased to work alongside NCOSS on social housing reform, because NCOSS has the expertise and trust that's needed to look at realistic and workable solutions.

“We hope that this partnership will deliver substantial and long-lasting change, and will form a template for other jurisdictions looking at how the quality and value of public services can be improved.”

Media contacts: Laura Maclean - 0412 867 658 (NCOSS)