Property Council NSW Executive Director Katie Stevenson said the ABS small area data to the end of November 2024 reveals a significant gap in housing delivery across Greater Sydney.
"At the current pace, only 183,996 of the 322,000 new dwellings needed in Greater Sydney by July 2029 will be delivered. That's less than 60% of what's required to meet the NSW Government's commitment under the National Housing Accord," Ms Stevenson said.
The ABS data show the 43 councils approved a total of 15,333 dwellings in the first five months of the Housing Accord-an average of 3,066 a month. This falls well short of the 5,366 monthly approvals needed to meet the Housing Accord target for Greater Sydney.
"Unless they significantly accelerate approvals, councils including Burwood, Inner West, Lane Cove, North Sydney, Strathfield, City of Sydney and Willoughby are on track to deliver only 15% or less of the housing targets set for them by the NSW Government," Ms Stevenson said.
"We're already six months into the five-year Housing Accord period, and with a full suite of reforms now in place the next six months needs to see councils and the new Housing Delivery Authority shift into high gear and get on with the job of delivering more homes," she said.
The Property Council is calling on the NSW Government to make sure the reforms now in place and those yet to come are fine tuned to focus on delivering against their objectives as quickly and efficiently as possible after a slow start to the Housing Accord period.
"Our analysis shows that if current DA rates continue, only six of the 43 councils with housing targets will meet them by 2029 - Blue Mountains, Canada Bay, Cessnock, Hawkesbury, Maitland and Parramatta," Ms Stevenson said.
"This is not just about numbers – it's about making home ownership and affordable rentals a reality for more NSW residents. The new Housing Delivery Authority must act swiftly to bridge the gap between housing needs and delivery capability," she said.
