NSW’s peak business organisation, Business NSW, today welcomed the NSW Government response to the Regional Housing Taskforce report.

“Rural and regional NSW is booming and it’s not hard to see why. Whether it’s raising a family or starting a business, there is so much on offer in regional NSW. As more and more people take the plunge and make the move, we know there is more pressure on regional housing than ever before,” said Business NSW CEO Daniel Hunter.

Mr Hunter said the NSW Government’s commitment to implementing all 15 recommendations as part of a comprehensive response will go a long way to delivering the 127,000 new homes that will be needed over the next 10 years to support growth across regional NSW.

 "As more and more people take the plunge and make the move, we know there is more pressure on regional housing than ever before."

“This is a step in the right direction and a critical conversation starter ahead of the Bush Summit in Griffith on Friday. We need to focus on supporting infrastructure, delivering homes for key workers, accelerating development assessments where appropriate and identifying government owned land that can be unlocked for more social and affordable housing,” Mr Hunter said.

A recent report by Business NSW, ‘Down to the Wire’ highlighted the critical worker shortfall in the Riverina Murray region, with an estimated 5,000 jobs needing to be filled to deliver infrastructure projects in that region alone.

“This is an issue being felt right across the state. Businesses in regional NSW are crying out for workers but without an affordable pipeline of new housing regional economies and communities will pay the price.”

Mr Hunter also recognised the NSW Government’s commitment to overhaul stamp duty and provide first home buyers with a choice of upfront stamp duty or an annual property levy, with a recent Business NSW Business Conditions Survey of over 1,100 businesses revealing strong support (62%) for the proposal.

“This is about giving first home buyers a hand up when it comes to getting into the property market by providing choice. Tax reform won’t deliver the solution by itself, but when combined with supply side measures we have a real opportunity to deliver more housing for those who need it in our regional communities,” Mr Hunter said.

About Business NSW

Formerly the NSW Business Chamber, Business NSW is the peak policy and advocacy body which has been representing businesses in NSW since 1826.