Month: June 2024

Record $6.6 Billion Social Housing and Homelessness Investment as Part of Building Homes for NSW Program.

The Minns Labor Government is taking an historic step to build more homes and set the state on a path to end homelessness with significant investment in new social homes and increased support for people in crisis.

Housing affordability and availability is the biggest single pressure facing the people of NSW.

Confronting the housing crisis requires a comprehensive plan. By funding new social homes and homelessness support services, we are assisting some of our most vulnerable, whilst alleviating pressure on the private market.

The Building Homes Program includes the largest state-based investment in social housing in NSW history.

This once in a generation program will directly build thousands of homes across our state to confront the housing crisis and rebuild our public housing system after a decade of neglect.

Building New Homes

Building new homes is a core focus for the NSW Labor Government. In addition, we are renewing an ageing social housing portfolio to ensure that it meets the needs of our community. Committed to raising the standard, we are elevating the maintenance program for homes to provide streamlined support for seniors, people with a disability, young people without family support, and women and families escaping domestic violence.

Having a safe home is foundational to a person’s wellbeing, and the 2024 to 2025 NSW Budget is a blueprint to build the housing the people of NSW need.

The Single Biggest Ever Investment in Building Homes for New South Wales

The NSW Government will deliver a $6.6 billion investment in social housing and homelessness services and will prioritize at least half of the new homes built for victim-survivors of family and domestic violence.

18,255 people or 38% of those seeking specialist homelessness services in 2022 to 2023 reported family and domestic violence as the main reason they were seeking assistance – higher than any other category – but tragically close to half of those were turned away because of a lack of accommodation support.

This program will build 8,400 social homes across the state. 6,200 will be new homes and 2200 are replacement homes.

In a major step to help those escaping family and domestic violence, the Government will prioritize over 50% of new homes built for women and children fleeing family and domestic violence.

This means at least 3100 vulnerable people leaving abusive relationships will have access to a new home under this program.

Fixing Homes in Urgent Need of Repair

The Building Homes for NSW program will restore and fix over 33,500 social homes to make them safe and liveable – the biggest investment in maintenance ever – providing people with dignity and respect.

The $810 million repair and maintenance investment will upgrade 33,500 homes and kick start the new Maintenance Hub launching on July 1, 2024.

Committed to raising the standard, our new maintenance system will focus on quality, accountability, better outcomes for tenants and better value for taxpayers.

Addressing Homelessness

The face of homelessness is changing, with an increasing number of people across NSW facing housing insecurity. We’re investing in homelessness services and properly funding crisis accommodation so if you’re struggling, we can find you a safe place to sleep while building homes to tackle long-term homelessness.

This budget includes a $527 million investment in frontline homelessness services, which will help:

• increased funding for crisis accommodation so people experiencing homelessness and families can access safe shelter
• supporting frontline services to meet operational and wage funding gaps so they can continue to deliver critical services to clients, as well as funding to grow Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to support culturally safe responses for Aboriginal people experiencing homelessness
• establishing the Homelessness Innovation Fund to provide funding to support the sector to deliver innovative responses to the current crisis, with a focus on homelessness being rare, brief, and non-recurring.

Action to Help Close the Gap

The Minns Labor Government knows that housing plays a vital role in social and economic outcomes for Aboriginal communities.

This Budget includes $202.6 million to fund a critical maintenance program for Aboriginal Housing to repair and upgrade homes as part of genuine action to Close the Gap.

Investing in Our Tenants to Build a Better Housing Sector

The NSW Government recognizes that firsthand experience leads to better outcomes.

This Budget delivers a $15 million extension of the partnership with the Community Housing Industry Association NSW (CHIA) to continue the Cadetship Program.

This Cadetship Program offers paid placements, providing social housing tenants with opportunities to develop new skills in the sector.

This Budget delivers on the Minns Labor Government’s plan to build better homes for NSW, so that everyone has a place to call home.

A plan to build better communities, and a better NSW.

The Minns Labor Government will deliver a record $35.1 billion in health funding across NSW.

This major investment to build a better health system will ensure we meet the growing needs of our community by:

• relieving pressure on our emergency departments
• investing in our frontline health workers
• delivering the hospital infrastructure our communities deserve
• supporting primary health care through GP practices
• improving access to care for families.

Relieving pressure on our emergency departments

The 2024-25 NSW Budget will invest around half a billion dollars to alleviate pressure on our busy emergency departments, including:

• $171.4 million to establish a ‘Single Front Door’ – a single point of advice, assessment, triage and referral for people in NSW with urgent non-life threatening conditions, backed with the introduction of three additional virtual care services and helping 180,000 people avoid a trip to the ED
• $100.0 million to back in urgent care services, a key instrument of the health system that will provide a pathway to care outside of hospitals for an estimated 114,000 patients
• $70.1 million to expand emergency department short stay units to improve patient flow and reduce ED wait times by nearly 80,000 hours
• $15.1 million for an Ambulance Matrix that enables paramedics to transport patients to emergency departments with greater capacity and reduces wait times by providing real time hospital data
• $31.4 million to increase Hospital in the Home across the State allowing over 3,500 additional patients each year to be cared for in their home rather than a hospital bed
• $53.9 million to improve patient flow and support discharge planning by identifying patients early on that are suitable to be discharged home with the appropriate supports in place.

Supporting primary healthcare through GPs

The Minns Labor Government will invest an estimated $188.8 million as part of the Bulk-Billing Support Initiative to ensure that primary health care services remain accessible to families and households.

This will protect the cost of seeing a GP for families and households, reduce the strain on emergency departments and save hundreds of clinics from closure.

Investing in our frontline health workers

When we boost our health workers, we improve patient outcomes. The 2024-25 NSW Budget will deliver more frontline health workers to communities that need them most, including:

• $274.7 million to boost staffing at newly built and upgraded hospitals across the state as part of the Essential Health Services Fund
• This will enable an additional 250 healthcare workers across the state including at Prince of Wales Hospital, Tweed Hospital, Bowral, Sutherland, Wentworth, Cowra, Cooma, Glen Innes, and Griffith
• $200.1 million to deliver accommodation to house health workers in regional NSW to better enable us to recruit and retain essential health workers right across the state.

This investment will further our initiatives to build an engaged, capable and supported workforce through:

• beginning to implement safe staffing levels
• making 1,112 temporary nurses permanent
• delivering an extra 500 regional paramedics
• abolishing the wages cap and delivering the highest wage increases for health workers in over a decade
• introducing health worker study subsidies
• doubling rural health incentives
• boosting doctors in our regional GP surgeries as well as hospitals through the single employer model.

Delivering the hospital infrastructure our communities deserve

The 2024-25 NSW Budget will boost investment in hospital infrastructure with $3.4 billion in 2024-25 to upgrade hospitals and health facilities across the State. Additional funding under the NSW Government’s Building Better Health initiative will ensure the delivery of upgraded hospitals and health facilities in communities that need it most, including:

• $395.3 million of additional funding to deliver ongoing hospital redevelopments at Eurobodalla, Ryde, Temora, Liverpool, Integrated Mental Health Complex at Westmead, Moree, Nepean, Cessnock and Shellharbour Hospital
• An investment of $265.0 million in a critical Port Macquarie Hospital upgrade
• Continued investment in the Lower Mid North Coast (Manning and Forster-Tuncurry).

In addition, further investment in the 2024-25 NSW Budget will deliver:

• $250.0 million for a Critical Asset Maintenance Program ensuring much-needed maintenance across hospitals and health facilities state-wide
• Funding for the Single Digital Patient Record, a next generation system which will consolidate and make it easier for clinicians to access patient information.

In 2024-25 this major health infrastructure investment includes over half a billion in Western Sydney and around one billion dollars in rural and regional NSW.

Improving access to care for families

The 2024-25 NSW Budget will invest $130.9 million to improve access to health care services that families need through our Family Start Package, including:

• $52.2 million to help low and middle income families undergoing fertility treatment by extending the fertility treatment rebate
• $40.0 million to enhance essential services for vulnerable children with specific investments in rural and regional allied health, juvenile arthritis and Karitane and Tresillian services.

A plan to build a better health system for NSW

The Minns Labor Government has a plan to deliver better healthcare in NSW, improving access to care; boosting staff; delivering the infrastructure our communities need; and sustaining health families.

The 2024-25 NSW Budget delivers a plan to build quality homes and ease the pressure on renters, home builders and those living in strata communities with a $55.2 million investment.

The NSW Government has already established Building Commission NSW and created the 
Strata and Property Services Commissioner and the NSW Rental Commissioner. The 2024-
25 Budget sees them grow so they can continue to deliver better outcomes for the people 
of NSW.

Better quality homes

The Minns Labor Government is continuing to crack down on dodgy builders with a $35 
million boost to Building Commission NSW, for enhanced digital capabilities as it continues 
lifting building standards statewide.

A fair deal for renters

The 2024-25 NSW Budget will deliver better conditions for renters with $8.4 million for
frontline rental inspectors and engagement officers to help the Rental Commissioner 
enforce quality standards.

Better higher density communities

The Minns Labor Government is increasing support for people living in higher density 
communities with $11.8 million to allow the Strata and Property Services Commissioner to 
educate owners’ corporations and hold strata agents to account, including $3.5 million over 
2 years towards the Strata Hub online platform to centralise information for those who 
live in or own a property in a strata scheme.

The Minns Labor Government is continuing to deliver the systems needed to build better 
homes and better communities for the people of NSW.

This is a Budget that recognises that everyone in NSW needs a place they can call home, 
whether they’re building, they’re renting or they’re living in a strata community.

The Minns Labor Government will invest an estimated $189 million in a bulk billing initiative to ensure the cost of seeing a GP remains accessible for people across NSW.

The Bulk-Billing Support Initiative will legislate to provide:

• a new ongoing payroll tax rebate for contractor GPs at clinics that meet bulk-billing thresholds
• a waiver for past unpaid payroll tax liability for contractor GP wages to 4 September 2024.

This initiative will protect bulk billing rates by reducing financial pressures on GP practices so they don’t pass on additional costs to patients and will save clinics from closure.

This will also reduce the strain on the state’s busy hospital emergency departments. NSW Health estimates that a 1% decrease in bulk-billing equates to around 3000 additional emergency presentations.

Once enacted, the NSW Government will give an ongoing payroll tax rebate for contractor GP wages to be provided to clinics with bulk-billing rates above 80% in metropolitan Sydney, and above 70% in the rest of the state.

The Bulk-Billing Support Initiative will help address the significant cost-of-living pressures felt by families and households across NSW. A recent survey revealed that:

• 72% are quite concerned or extremely concerned about the cost of healthcare
• 48% of adults are cutting back on healthcare appointments due to affordability
• 37% of parents are cutting back on appointments for their children due to affordability.

For the last 5 years, medical peak bodies have been warning that failure to address the issue could see GPs charge patients as much as an additional $20 per appointment.

This resolves uncertainty around the applicability of payroll tax on contractor GPs, which first arose in 2018 under the previous Liberal-National state government.

The initiative also addresses the unique and unprecedented cost pressures GPs are under after the former Liberal-National Commonwealth Government froze bulk-billing indexation for a decade.

To relieve pressure on GPs, in September 2023, the Minns Labor Government legislated a 12-month pause on payroll tax audits for GP practices and tax penalties and interest accrued on outstanding debts.

Since the pause was enacted, the government worked closely with Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and Australian Medical Association (AMA) to develop the support initiative.

NSW will be the first state to legislate a full retrospective waiver for past unpaid payroll tax liabilities for contractor GP wages. This will save local clinics.

The former Liberal-National Government’s failure on this issue particularly impacted regional and rural GP clinics. In providing a targeted rebate for those clinics, we can protect primary care for families and households in those communities.

Maintaining a consistent approach to payroll tax is an important objective of the NSW Government. The introduction of this support initiative recognises the overriding public interest in GPs delivering care for families and households.

This is part of a budget that will prioritise rebuilding essential services – ensuring we have the essential services the people of NSW rely on and that keeps our communities safe.

Statement from AMA’s Dr Michael Bonning:

“AMA NSW welcomes the decision by the NSW Minns Government to legislate to guarantee no retrospective payroll tax liability for general practice. The Minns Government will be the first state to offer this guarantee in legislation.

“Minister Park and Minister Houssos have been responsive to the concerns of general practice from the moment they took their portfolios. Minister Park has shown his commitment to the important role of general practice in the NSW Health system.

“Legislating ‘no retrospectivity’ will provide certainty for practices and will minimise the risk of more closures of general practices in NSW.

“Unfortunately, general practice continues to struggle with decades of underfunding from the previous Commonwealth Government.”

Statement from RACGP NSW & ACT Chair Dr Rebekah Hoffman:

“The RACGP applauds the NSW Government exempting GPs from retrospective payroll tax. This gives GPs across NSW certainty that they can continue to operate and keep their doors open for patients, without fear of being hit with a huge tax bill that will shut them down.

“The RACGP thanks Ministers Houssos and Park for negotiating with the college in good faith and for understanding the devastating impact retrospective tax would have on NSW practices, patients, and our state’s health system. We appreciate the very tight budgetary constraints the NSW Government is under and know this decision wasn’t taken lightly.

“The tax arrangements going forward will reduce future liabilities and will go a long way to ensuring NSW practices remain viable and open for patients, and those that are bulk-billing may continue.”

Speeding will be the focus of one of the largest cross-border high visibility road safety operations in recent times, by NSW Police and Victoria Police this week.

Operation Furious, started yesterday (Monday 17 June 2024) and running until Thursday 20 June, and will be targeting speeding and dangerous driving on the Hume Highway from Haberfield, in the inner-city suburbs of Sydney, to Albury on the New South Wales/Victorian border.

In conjunction with NSW Police, Operation Hamilton will be conducted by Victoria Police from Wodonga on the New South Wales/Victorian border to Melbourne.

The high-visibility operation will involve NSW Police Traffic and Highway Patrol Command officers, with assistance from inspectors from the National Heavy vehicle Regulator to ensure heavy vehicle drivers are compliant with vehicle regulations.

More than 180 NSW Traffic and Highway Patrol officers will be deployed over the four days in marked and unmarked vehicles, conducting stationary and random speed enforcements.

Results for the first 24 hours of Operation Furious include, 104 drivers detected speeding, 349 random breath tests conducted, 79 random drug tests conducted, 1 positive breath test, 5 positive drug tests and 61 other traffic infringement notices issued.

Notable incidents include;

• About 7am yesterday (Monday 17 June 2024), officers attached to Highway Patrol Hume sector were conducting speed enforcement on the Hume Highway, Mittagong when they allegedly detected a Volkswagen sedan driven by a P-plater travelling north at 191km/hr in a 110km/hr. The 21-year-old driver was issued with a traffic infringement notice for P2 driver exceed speed limit – over 45km/hr. He was issued with a $2794 fine and his license suspended for 6 months.
• About 10.35pm yesterday (Monday 17 June 2024), officers attached to Campbelltown Highway Patrol were conducting speed enforcement on the Hume Motorway, Woodbine, when they allegedly detected a BMW sedan and a Mitsubishi sedan travelling at 212km/hr in a 110km/hr speed zone. Officers pulled over a 23-year-old male driver and 24-year-old male driver. Both drivers were issued with future court attendance notices for, organise/promote etc race between vehicles, drive recklessly/furiously or speed/manner dangerous and class A motor vehicle exceed speed over 45 km/h. The older male had his license suspended. The 23-year-old QLD license holder has his driving privileges suspended in NSW.

Traffic and Highway Patrol South West Commander, Superintendent Rob Toynton, said the Hume Highway is a busy stretch of road and the sight of too many serious crashes.

“We know more than 21 thousand motorists use this stretch of road every day. Since June 2023, there has been more than 350 major collisions on the Hume Highway resulting in 7 people losing their lives. We make no apologies for targeting drivers driving dangerously and putting themselves – and more importantly – other road users at risk,” said Superintendent Toynton.

“This joint operation involving NSW Police and Victoria Police, means drivers who do the wrong thing have nowhere to hide. You can expect to see Police officers on the Hume Highway from Sydney to Melbourne, with our main focus on driving down the road toll and reducing the number of serious crashes, which we know have lifelong consequences for those involved.”

South West Commander, Superintendent Rob Toynton said motorists need to heed the warnings from NSW Police but also take personal responsibility for their actions.

“We are reminding motorists to drive to the conditions, have a plan B if you’re drinking, stick to the speed limit, wear a seatbelt and don’t take unnecessary risks because everyone deserves to arrive at their destination safely,” Superintendent Toynton said.

Further operations are planned, focusing on reducing serious crashes and fatalities on the Hume Highway.

The Minns Labor Government is investing an additional $189.5 million over 4 years to provide job security for hundreds of firefighters statewide.

The 2024-25 NSW Budget preserves the jobs of almost 300 firefighters and delivers funding for a key new fire station.

This must-have investment is part of the NSW Government’s commitment to rebuild essential services and help communities prepare for emergencies.

The government is delivering on its long-term plan to rebuild our essential services by investing in physical infrastructure and in the frontline workers who deliver the services the people of NSW need.

This is part of the Minns Labor Government’s plan to build stronger, safer communities across the state.

A plan to rebuild Fire and Rescue NSW.

A plan to build a better NSW.

Guaranteeing firefighter jobs

The Labor Government’s 2024-25 Budget will guarantee the positions of the 286 existing firefighters whose roles did not previously have ongoing funding, including those at Oran Park station.

This will ensure FRNSW’s critical service delivery and comes as 20 extra firefighters, recruited this year, prepare to graduate later this month.

New fire station

The Minns Labor Government is also planning for the future needs of Western Sydney and the new airport.

This Budget invests $15.4 million to buy land and build a new 24-hour fire station at Badgerys Creek equipped with 3 new appliances.

The strategically located facility will boost emergency services coverage across south-west Sydney alongside the soon-to-be-opened Busby Station.

Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said:

“We have set about rebuilding frontline emergency services for the long term, so they are in a stronger and more sustainable position to protect the people of NSW.

“We always knew the former government failed to adequately prepare for population growth, but the extent to which it neglected to fund existing resources is truly alarming, with the salaries of almost 300 active permanent firefighters never budgeted for.

“These firefighters are needed on the frontline and are on the job keeping the community safe, but the former government forced Fire and Rescue NSW to put their salaries on the credit card and never paid the bill.

“By prioritising investment in firefighters and new stations, we will be better prepared for emergencies and able to confront the evolving challenges posed by natural disasters.

“These investments through the 2024-25 NSW Budget underscore our focus on safeguarding the wellbeing of NSW residents and communities in times of crisis, while continuing to manage the state’s finances responsibly.”

The NSW Government is committing $83.1 million over the next 4 years to retain expert TAFE NSW teachers, crucial to train the state’s skilled workforce.

The Minns Labor Government is delivering on a key election commitment to rebuild TAFE NSW.

This includes recruiting and retaining teachers who are pivotal to building the pipeline of skilled workers NSW needs.

An estimated 48% of TAFE NSW’s teaching workforce does not have permanent employment, making it difficult to keep great teachers in the job.

The 2024 to 2025 Budget includes $83.1 million to support the conversion of teachers to permanent employment. This significant investment will provide job security for Australia’s largest vocational education and training workforce.

This commitment, along with the removal of the public sector wages cap and the large pay increase, demonstrates the Minns Labor Government’s recognition of the value of TAFE NSW teachers.

Attracting the best from industry means TAFE NSW students get the very best guidance from teachers with hands-on experience and connections with prospective employers.

NSW needs skilled professionals across construction, healthcare, hospitality and burgeoning sectors like renewable energy. Therefore, it’s more important than ever to invest in our TAFE NSW teachers, to forge the strong foundation required to train the workforce of the future.

Minister for Skills, TAFE, and Tertiary Education, Steve Whan said:

“I know, from my conversations with TAFE NSW teachers, that job security is one of the most pressing issues they face. This significant investment will ensure our TAFE NSW teachers have greater peace of mind.

“The investment will provide greater job security for our dedicated TAFE NSW teachers, who are the backbone of our vocational education system.

“That’s why we’re committed to the conversion of casual teachers to more permanent employment.

“This investment, combined with the largest pay increase for TAFE NSW teachers since we were last in government, ensures the longevity of the vocational education and training sector in NSW.

“This budget demonstrates the NSW Government’s unwavering commitment to TAFE NSW and allows TAFE NSW to position itself at the heart of the state’s vocational education system.”’

NSW Teachers Federation President, Henry Rajendra said:

“We welcome the Government’s announcement to provide certainty and security for our TAFE NSW teachers, their students, and communities.

“This is a significant and positive step to reversing the loss of 8000 TAFE NSW teachers under the previous Government’s deliberate destruction of TAFE NSW and ensuring a brighter future to meet the chronic skills shortage through public education at TAFE NSW.”

The Minns Labor Government is putting more SafeWork NSW inspectors on the ground to enforce the engineered stone ban coming into force next month.

A 2024-25 NSW Budget boost of $2.5 million will help ensure compliance with the July 1 ban on the use, supply, and manufacture of engineered stone. In addition to the ban, there will be stronger regulation of all other materials containing crystalline silica.

The boost to compliance inspections in the engineered stone industry will see more inspectors carrying out site visits and issuing penalties to any non-compliant operators.

SafeWork recently completed a six-month Silica in Construction workplace visit program. During the state-wide visit program construction team inspectors conducted 176 visits to relevant businesses and issued 142 notices.

The additional investment in this Budget will also protect workers from the dangers of exposure to silica by delivering:

• Additional program staff to provide education tools and programs to support impacted industries.
• The development of new notification systems for businesses doing processing work on existing engineered stone in homes and workplaces.

Silicosis, caused by breathing in small particles of silica dust, has devasting effects on the lungs and has become more prevalent in the engineered stone industry.

It is preventable and this funding for more inspectors and monitoring systems will support the implementation of the national ban to remove dangerous exposure to silica dust from engineered stone, saving lives in the process.

It is in addition to $5 million in critical funding already delivered by the government for silicosis research and a patient support program for individuals and their families who are navigating the health risks associated with exposure to silica dust, via a grant from icare and the Dust Diseases Board.

Additionally, a Silica Worker Register to track at-risk workers is also being established from the Workers Compensation Operational Fund.

Minister for Work Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis said:

“The previous government was far too slow to act on this deadly threat.

“The Minns Government will not only ban this dangerous product but the funding in this Budget ensures the ban and new compliance regime actually works at saving lives.”

“Silicosis is preventable and all workers who are at risk of silicosis will now be registered so that their health is tracked for their lifetime.

“The Minns Government is investing in worker safety as a priority because it is a fundamental right of every worker to go to work and come home safely to their loved ones at the end of the day.”

The NSW Government is boosting awareness of and access to vaccinations for priority populations to build healthier communities across the state.

This includes people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities and people with chronic illnesses who are more likely to develop severe disease.  

The $15 million vaccination initiative will focus on improving vaccination rates for target groups which have been identified as having low vaccination coverage or facing barriers to vaccination.

Evidence of differences in vaccination rates across community groups was obtained from the Australian Immunisation Register and the Australian Bureau of Statistics Multi-Agency Data Integration Project.

The program will aim to improve uptake of a range of vaccines, including influenza, shingles and pneumococcal vaccination for eligible cohorts.

The investment will fund more NSW Health staff to administer vaccines, and training for existing NSW Health clinical services staff, as well as health promotion, education and community engagement activities.

A community grants program will engage local community leaders and champions to raise awareness of the importance and effectiveness of vaccination, and identify barriers to accessing vaccination.  

The vaccine champions will work closely with local health districts to increase knowledge and understanding of vaccination and how to access immunisation services.

This investment delivers on the NSW Government’s plan to rebuild essential services that people of NSW rely on.

NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park

“Funding to increase vaccination access and uptake across the state will support better health and wellbeing outcomes for some of our priority population groups, including high risk and hard to reach cohorts.

“The NSW Government is committed to improving vaccination rates and equity in knowledge, access, and uptake across the state to maximise the benefits of vaccination for everyone.

“Vaccination is safe and effective. It is the best way to protect ourselves and the broader community from serious illness and hospitalisation from a range of diseases.”

The Minns Labor Government is investing $450 million to build new apartments for essential workers including nurses, paramedics, teachers, allied health care workers, police officers and fire fighters to rent at a subsidised rate in areas closer to the city, their jobs and services.

Up to 4 new sites will be acquired by the NSW Government’s residential development arm, Landcom, to build more than 400 new build-to-rent dwellings in the next 3 years.

Landcom will select sites with a preference for surplus government land identified as being suitable for housing with the specific locations to be determined.

The homes will be offered to essential workers at a discount to market rent, through a separate subsidy program.

This injection of funds to Landcom expands on their current Build to Rent programs on the north and south coasts.

The current housing market is making it increasingly difficult for our essential workers to be able to afford to live near their jobs.

This means young people are leaving Sydney to live in more affordable areas where they can live and work in the same community.

Today’s announcement will increase the supply of well-built, well-located, secure and accessible rental accommodation for the essential workers who keep Sydney running but are being priced out of the market.

A portion of this funding will go towards land acquisitions and then the remainder will see through the construction of up to 4 sites.

These sites will be located in metro Sydney, meaning our essential workers have the opportunity to work and live in the same communities.

The Government will retain ownership of the housing, with rental income available to help fund a potential future additional expansion of the Government’s key worker housing program.

Landcom will now commence detailed planning work, and subject to planning approvals, it is anticipated construction on the first site will begin in early 2026, with key workers able to move in from late 2027.

Eligibility criteria, details on how to apply and the rental subsidy will be available closer to the completion of the first project, expected in 2027.

This program will also support the Minns Labor Government’s election commitment to recruit and retain essential workers.

This is all part of the Minns Labor Government’s plan to build better, well-connected communities for NSW, to ensure we’re building infrastructure close to jobs and essential services.

A plan to build a better NSW.

Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said:

“Housing affordability and availability is the biggest single pressure facing the people of NSW, with mortgage payments or rent the largest expense for most households, particularly for essential workers.

“NSW would grind to a halt without nurses, paramedics, teachers, police officers and firefighters, but many can’t afford a place to live in Sydney, close to where they work. This has to change.

“We’re pulling every leaver we have to tackle the housing crisis and one of the best ways to make rentals more affordable is to build more homes.”

Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said:

“In the grip of a housing crisis, this is a must-have policy. 

“This investment will give hospital staff on nightshift, police patrolling until late and so many other essential workers the chance to live near where they work. 

“We can afford to build this housing. By cutting the state’s debt, we have cut the state’s interest bill. It means we can use those savings to make a difference to the lives of many essential workers.” 

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“Key workers are particularly feeling the impact of the housing crisis which is why the NSW Government is investing in the delivery of secure housing assets to boost supply and provide them with a place to live near where they work.

“These homes will give key workers a choice, so they can live close to their jobs in the type of housing they want.

“This represents a significant investment to bolster housing supply for key workers, to make sure that those that look after us have a place to call home.”