A re-elected Minns Labor Government will make it easier to build more homes, cut red tape for small businesses and unlock infrastructure funding to deliver the roads, parks and community facilities growing communities need.
The reforms will reduce upfront costs for housing developments and support construction jobs by allowing developers to pay local infrastructure contributions later in the construction process, helping get more homes built sooner.
The Government will also take immediate steps to unlock more than $900 million in infrastructure contributions already collected by councils, bringing forward investment in local roads, parks and community facilities.
Small businesses will also spend less time filling out paperwork and more time running and growing their businesses, with a re-elected Minns Labor Government boosting productivity by removing the need for full development applications for common activities such as minor renovations, internal fit-outs, changes to trading hours and signage, and making planning approvals simpler where they are still required.
Cutting Housing Red Tape
Under the reforms, local infrastructure contributions that are currently paid at the Construction Certificate stage will be permanently deferred to the Occupation Certificate stage of development.
The Minns Labor Government will also overhaul and simplify the framework governing how local infrastructure contributions are levied and spent, cutting unnecessary red tape, improving efficiency and making it easier for councils to turn collected contributions into shovel-ready infrastructure projects.
Councils across NSW are currently sitting on a collective balance of more than $4.6 billion in infrastructure contributions – money that could be supporting local jobs, construction activity and the delivery of infrastructure communities need.
As an immediate first step, the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces will issue directions allowing councils to spend more than $900 million currently sitting in their accounts that was collected under now-repealed contribution plans.
Unlocking this funding will help bring forward infrastructure investment, support local construction jobs and deliver the roads, parks, open spaces and community facilities needed to support new housing.
If re-elected the Minns Labor Government will remove outdated rules and unnecessary barriers that have prevented councils from putting infrastructure contributions to productive use, ensuring money collected from development is reinvested into communities faster.
Importantly as part of these reforms we will work alongside councils to manage the potential financial impacts and make sure they can still deliver the infrastructure their communities need.
The Government will ensure these councils that are efficient and effective with their contribution spending are not disadvantaged by the change in the timing of payments, including through the potential extension of financing facilities where needed to maintain a continuous pipeline of local infrastructure projects and construction jobs.
But once unnecessary barriers to spending contributions have been removed, councils will be expected get on with delivering the infrastructure their communities need.
Where councils continue to hold significant contributions for an unreasonable period, the NSW Government will step in and use those funds to directly deliver infrastructure for those communities.
Cutting Small Business Red Tape
Currently, development applications in NSW can take up to 130 days to prepare and assess and can cost $30,000, sometimes requiring hundreds of pages of documentation and creating unnecessary costs and delays for small businesses looking to get started or expand.
The reforms will mean small businesses can spend less time filling out paperwork and waiting for approvals, and more time serving customers, growing their businesses and creating local jobs.
Under the reforms, a re-elected Minns Labor Government will:
- Reducing the need for full development applications for many common business activities, including minor renovations, internal fitouts, changes of use, trading hours and signage, by expanding eligibility for exempt and complying development pathways.
- Cut the cost and complexity of development applications where they are still required, by clearly specifying what documents businesses need to submit and introducing page limits for reports.
- Remove unnecessary regulation by standardising the conditions that can be imposed on development approvals.
- Make planning rules easier to navigate by publishing clear, consolidated information on compliance, regulatory and reporting requirements for common business types.
These changes will remove the need for lengthy development applications for more everyday business activities, while making applications faster, simpler and less expensive where approvals are still required.
The reforms are part of the Minns Labor Government’s broader commitment to lift productivity, support small businesses and make NSW an easier place to invest, build and create jobs.
Everyone deserves a fair chance to find a home they can afford, close to their jobs, families and the communities they know. But for too many young people, renters and essential workers, that is becoming harder and harder.
We want NSW to be a place where young people can build a life, raise a family and have a future. That means building more homes to rent and buy, in the right places, with the infrastructure and jobs communities need.
That’s why the Minns Labor Government has made major changes to the planning system to get more homes built, particularly around transport and employment centres, while investing in the schools, hospitals and infrastructure needed to support growing communities.
We know the housing crisis wasn’t created overnight and won’t be fixed overnight. But we’re starting to see progress, with more homes being completed and construction activity increasing across NSW.
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows encouraging signs of progress, with nearly 50,000 homes completed in NSW in 2025–26, the highest number since 2020–21 and a 16 per cent increase on the previous year, compared with a national increase of just 2.8 per cent.
Housing commencements also increased by more than 10 per cent, to the highest level in four years, while NSW continues to lead the nation with more homes under construction than any other state or territory.
These results show encouraging progress, but there is more work to do to lift productivity, support construction jobs and deliver the homes NSW needs.
Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said:
“Families across NSW are doing it tough, and we know housing is one of the biggest cost-of-living pressures they face.
“We came to government with a clear commitment to build more homes and make housing more affordable, and while our reforms are making a difference, we know there is much more work to do.
“We also know small businesses are doing it tough, and the last thing they need is unnecessary red tape getting in the way. We want small business owners spending less time filling out paperwork and more time growing their businesses and creating jobs.
“We don’t want to become a state where the next generation has to move away because they can’t afford a home. We want NSW to be a place where young people can build a life, raise a family and have a future.”
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:
“We’re slashing red tape and removing hurdles that have been holding back businesses, jobs and more homes.
“These are common sense changes that build on our existing reforms which are already delivering real jobs and housing results for the people of NSW.
“New home buyers contribute to their local infrastructure but the system can delay its delivery.
“These local contribution reforms will make sure communities across NSW get the infrastructure they needs as they are growing.
“The Minns Labor Government is committed to delivering homes, jobs and infrastructure together, these reforms will continue to do that while also boosting feasibility so more homes can be built faster.”
Minister for Small Business Janelle Saffin said:
“Whether it’s opening a new café, renovating a shopfront or extending trading hours, small business owners shouldn’t have to spend months navigating complex planning rules and filling out paperwork.
“These reforms will make it easier and cheaper to start and grow a small business, giving owners more time to focus on what they do best – serving their customers, growing their businesses and creating local jobs.”
