Ms JODIE HARRISON (Charlestown—Minister for Women, Minister for Seniors, and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault) (19:33): The cost of living is a significant issue felt deeply by many in communities across New South Wales. My electorate of Charlestown is certainly no different. Clearly, a major contributor to the cost of living is the cost of having somewhere to live. There is no doubt that the actions and inaction of the former New South Wales Liberal-Nationals Government have contributed to considerable pain in the cost of housing. For many years, New South Wales has been staring down the barrel of a significant housing supply and affordability challenge. Clearly, the former Government's policy of leaving solutions to the free market has not worked. Housing has been an issue I have pushed time and again since I was first elected. I know the electorate represented by the Deputy Speaker feels the same pain. Housing is an important issue for me and an important topic for my community.
Rental trends in the Charlestown electorate make it clear: From October 2019 to October 2024 median rents in the 2290 postcode, which covers a broad part of my electorate, increased by more than 40 per cent. It is a similar situation in the 2282 postcode, on the northern shore of Lake Macquarie, and the 2305 postcode that covers New Lambton, where rents have gone up nearly 45 per cent. Property prices have likewise skyrocketed. In the last quarter of 2019, the median house price in the 2290 postcode was $630,000; now, it is a shade under $900,000. It is even worse in the postcodes of 2282 and 2305. In the fourth quarter of 2019, the median house prices were $715,000 and $738,000, respectively. Today, it is more than $1 million in the 2282 postcode and nearly $1.2 million in the 2305 postcode.
According to figures from the 2021 Census, 4.8 per cent of households in the electorate of Charlestown live in public housing. That is much higher than the New South Wales average of 3.2 per cent. I hear from vulnerable people in the community who are struggling to pay rent or languishing on years-long public housing waiting lists. I hear from older, more established members of the community who are concerned that their children and grandchildren may never afford to own a home or live comfortably. There are many reasons we have reached this point, and we can debate them endlessly. But no matter which way we look at it, housing affordability and availability is the biggest single pressure facing the people of my electorate and the people of this State.
The fact of the matter is that when this Government came into office, it had a plan to correct the years of inaction and tackle the problem, which affects almost every member of our communities. Our plan to ensure that everyone—no matter who they are, how much money they earn and how much money they have—has a place to call home is well and truly underway. We made it easier to build medium-density housing in areas where people have access to public transport, social amenities, shops and schools through the transport oriented development planning reforms. We delivered an unprecedented investment in social housing with the $6.6 billion Building Homes for NSW program. This is a once-in-a-generation chance to build homes across the State and rebuild our public housing system after years of neglect.
We will make it easier for the thousands of renters in the Charlestown electorate with the country's first portable rental bond scheme. In the past few weeks we introduced the most significant rental reforms in more than a decade. We balanced the needs of renters with the needs of landlords. We clarified a system that was often too difficult or overwhelming to navigate. We empowered NSW Fair Trading to make sure that breaches of rental laws are taken seriously. We helped ensure that wherever a person happens to live in this State, in whatever form of housing they live, they are able to make a home.
Just this month the Minns Labor Government announced the establishment of a new State-led approval pathway for major residential housing projects. In the regions, it will be available for developments that cost $30 million or more, with 40 or so homes in each development. It will cut approval times and speed up the delivery of new homes. It will allow market supply to meet demand and put downward pressure on the price of homes. After the State suffered 12 long years of inaction and negligence, my colleagues and I are delivering for the people of New South Wales. Members on this side of the House understand that everyone deserves a home.
