City Futures Blog

News and research in housing and urban policy, from Australia’s leading urban policy research centre.

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Entries Tagged as 'Government'

By far and away the biggest (housing) tax reform prize on offer?

March 20th, 2017 · No Comments · Affordability, Government, Housing

By Hal Pawson, Associate Director, City Futures Research Centre. Weekend reports suggest that an exchange of land tax for stamp duty might be, at last, under genuine government consideration. The potential significance of such a change – one we’ve previously backed – is hard to overstate. Cited in the Sydney Morning Herald, Grattan Institute economics […]

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Value sharing for affordable housing

March 7th, 2017 · No Comments · Affordability, Cities, Government, Housing supply, Sydney

By Bill Randolph, Director, City Futures Research Centre. Originally published in New Planner. The recent inclusion of Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) in the draft District Pans for Metropolitan Sydney marks a turning point in the debates – and hopefully the policies – on the possibility of accessing some of the value generated by property development to […]

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Metropolitan plans and metaphors: potential problems with Greater Sydney’s ‘three cities’

February 28th, 2017 · 1 Comment · Government, Wellbeing

By Dr Greg Paine, City Futures Research Centre. The Greater Sydney Commission is currently exhibiting its proposed district (ie. sub-regional) plans. Concurrently, though with less publicity, it is exhibiting its vision for the metropolitan area itself: Towards Our Greater Sydney 2056, a set of proposed amendments to the current metropolitan strategy A Plan for Growing Sydney (2014). […]

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The 10-point Plan to Tackle the Housing Crisis Rides Again

February 21st, 2017 · 1 Comment · Affordability, Cities, Government, Housing, Housing supply

By Hal Pawson, Associate Director, City Futures Research Centre. With anxieties about Australia’s increasingly unaffordable housing close to fever pitch, increasingly zany policy ideas are being touted to fix the problem. Not long ago we heard the Urban Task Force advocating for a plan fundamentally undermining NSW planning system integrity. Last week the ABC’s Michael […]

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Australia needs to reboot affordable housing funding, not scrap it

February 20th, 2017 · No Comments · Finance, Government

By Chris Martin, UNSW and Hal Pawson, UNSW. Originally published on The Conversation. Federal government ministers have cast a cloud over funding for social housing and homelessness services, leading to speculation that the National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA) may not survive the 2017 budget. Treasurer Scott Morrison and Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar point to the […]

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How Australia can spread the benefits of our bulging infrastructure pipeline

February 8th, 2017 · No Comments · Construction, Government, Guest appearance, Social enterprise

By Martin Loosemore, UNSW. Originally published on The Conversation. Good infrastructure can transform the social fabric of local communities, regional economies and national prosperity. The 2012 Olympics’ impact on London’s East End and the Guggenheim Museum’s role in revitalising Bilbao in northern Spain are examples of how infrastructure projects can regenerate disadvantaged communities by creating a […]

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New housing ministers – new housing policies?

January 30th, 2017 · No Comments · Affordability, Government, Housing

Congratulations to Anthony Roberts, the Minister for Housing, and Pru Goward, the Minister for Social Housing, on their appointments to NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s new Cabinet. Congratulations too to Matt Kean, Minister for Fair Trading, whose housing-related portfolio includes residential tenancies. This is the first time New South Wales has had two housing ministers.  From […]

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If you’re serious about affordable Sydney housing, Premier, here’s a must-do list

January 24th, 2017 · 1 Comment · Affordability, Cities, Finance, Government, Housing supply

By Hal Pawson, UNSW Australia. Originally published on The Conversation. So “fixing housing affordability” in Sydney is one of three top priorities for the new premier of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian. It’s good that the state’s new leader recognises this as an intensifying problem that can’t be ignored. Berejiklian will appreciate the electoral importance of […]

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Public housing transfers move to a new level

January 23rd, 2017 · 1 Comment · Government, Housing supply

By Hal Pawson, Associate Director, City Futures Research Centre With the New South Wales Government’s recently announced tranche of public housing transfers to not-for-profit providers, Australia’s community housing sector is set for a new growth spurt. The addition of the 14,700 former Housing NSW properties – the largest transfer program yet – will expand existing […]

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‘Scott Morrison’s Finest Achievement (to date)’?

December 12th, 2016 · 1 Comment · Finance, Government, Housing

By Professor Hal Pawson, Associate Director, City Futures Research Centre The SMH’s star economics correspondent, Jessica Irvine appeared to be heaping high praise on the nation’s Treasurer in her recent commentary. Her ‘finest achievement’ assessment commended Mr Morrison’s backing for proposals to open up access to more cost-effective private finance for affordable rental housing, as announced […]

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