Housing affordability: Glenn Stevens appointed by Gladys Berejiklian to advise NSW Government
By state political reporter
Sarah Gerathy
Updated about 3 hours ago
PHOTO: Glenn Stevens will advise a working group on strategies to help first-home buyers. (AAP: Dan Peled)
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The row about housing affordability has reignited in the New South Wales Parliament after Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced she had hired former Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens to advise her Government on the issue.
Ms Berejiklian told Parliament she has set up a cross-government working group to develop strategies to help first-time home owners enter the market and Mr Stevens' advice would be invaluable.
"I've asked him to provide advice on all the options that we are considering already as a Government on this very important public issue and I believe there is no-one better qualified to undertake this very important task," Ms Berejiklian said.
Ms Berejiklian vowed to make housing affordability a top priority when she became Premier last month, saying she wanted every hard-working person in the state to be able to aspire to own their own home.
Sydney's housing has been rated less affordable than global metropolises New York and London in a recent survey which rated property "severely unaffordable" for middle-income households.
Under Mr Stevens leadership, the Reserve Bank advocated changes to negative gearing at a federal housing affordability inquiry in 2015.
The Opposition seized on the Premier's announcement by asking Ms Berejiklian what she would do if Mr Stevens recommended the State Government push the Federal Government to reform negative gearing.
"If Glenn Stevens recommends reform of negative gearing, as urged by your former planning minister Rob Stokes, will you support that reform or will you conveniently exclude that matter from Mr Stevens' term of reference?" Opposition Leader Luke Foley asked.
Ms Berejiklian brushed aside the question.
She has previously tried to avoid being drawn into a debate about negative gearing, after
then-planning minister Mr Stokes publicly advocated for changes.
In Parliament, Ms Berejiklian's Housing and Planning Minister Anthony Roberts tried to turn the tables on Labor, accusing them of doing nothing to address the issue of housing affordability when they were in government.
"Do not try to lecture this Government on housing affordability, because we are not just building houses, we are building the infrastructure," Mr Roberts said.
"We will make homes more affordable and I can assure the people of New South Wales that this Government will not take the failed, do-nothing Labor approach," Mr Roberts said.
