SSI joins Sydney Alliance in tackling housing affordability

SSI is a founding member of Sydney Alliance — a coalition of civic organisations from the union, faith, education and community sectors working together on issues of the common good.

The recent assembly with Minister Roberts, which followed three hard years of campaigning with various political stakeholders, was an opportunity for Sydney Alliance to share real stories about how the housing affordability crisis is affecting peoples’ lives.

Around 300 people attended the assembly, including Professor Bill Randolph of UNSW, a British and Australian affordable housing expert.

“Affordable housing as we know it is a very complex problem but we know that our planning system has failed to deliver anything in the area of housing affordability. Inclusionary zoning is a way to share the uplift in a parcel of land that results in a change of use from a planning decisions,” he said.

“It’s only reasonable to assume that there should be a public benefit from that publicly accountable decision.”
At the end of the night, Minister Roberts agreed to meet with Sydney Alliance and the Greater Sydney Commission, which has been tasked with revitalising areas of the city.

Sydney Alliance is campaigning to have those revitalisation plans include stronger commitments for affordable housing and access to public transport. The Alliance wants to see a 15—30 per cent inclusion of affordable housing commitment in the proposed plans. For more information, click here.

By SSI Housing Services Program Manager Charles Rich