This paper describes and then assesses policies introduced by the NSW government since its election in 2023 to increase Sydney's housing supply. The policies comprise an audit to identify surplus government land suitable for new housing, a new authority to accelerate approvals using state significant pathways; new controls to allow higher densities that focus on TOD precincts and other centre catchments; infill affordable housing bonuses; apartment design blueprints giving accelerated approval; planning system reforms that centralise approval processes and simplify development approval conditions; and government pre-sale guarantees for apartment developers. In the longer term, the loosening of zoning restrictions should decrease land price pressures and help supply to catch up with the growth in population and reductions in household size. But the new NSW policies, while arguably in the wider public interest, come at the expense of democratic process and local public interests. Market forces mean that until supply catches up, most of the supply increase will go to higher income households. This will necessitate substantially increased funding of public and social housing for low income households.
Glen Searle (Sun,) studied this question.