Ms CHARISHMA KALIYANDA: Ordinarily, I would say it is a pleasure if it were not for the constant stream of stories of hardship, distress and trauma that come through my office every single week from young people, older people, new migrants and many others who are struggling to get into the housing market and struggling to access something that we take for granted in this place: the great Australian dream of owning our own home. Unfortunately, for many people of my generation and younger, that dream is more and more becoming exactly that: a dream that will not be realised.
The good member for Leppington highlighted a range of reasons that we find ourselves in the midst of this housing crisis. That is exactly what we are in: a housing crisis. A few weeks ago, an article by Nila Sweeney in the Financial Review identified the toughest suburbs for renters in Australia. Ashcroft, Busby and Miller—all suburbs in the electorate of Liverpool—count amongst the toughest suburbs in which to rent, alongside Christie Downs in Adelaide. Over the past 12 months, rents have increased by 10 per cent and people are paying approximately 41 per cent of their income in rent.
To give some context, housing stress is designated by an income benchmark of 30 per cent of income being spent on housing. In Liverpool, 25 per cent of households spend over 30 per cent of their income on mortgage repayments, and 44 per cent of renters have payments that account for over 30 per cent of their household income. This form of rental stress grew by over 20 per cent from 2016 to 2021. The most recent budget allocates approximately $7.3 million for new social housing upgrades and about $14.7 million for increasing housing supply. The member for Willoughby might think that this is not very much, but it is far more than what the previous Government did in presiding over the decimation of our social and affordable housing system over the past 12 years.
The previous Government sold tens of millions of dollars' worth of social housing just in my electorate of Liverpool, pricing out many more people in the electorate. Amongst first home buyers, the Government's first home buyer concessions are especially relevant to south-west Sydney, given Liverpool's young median age of 35.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery): Opposition members will cease interjecting.
Ms CHARISHMA KALIYANDA: The First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme is designed to provide much-needed tax relief for first home buyers in Western Sydney, given relatively lower, though still substantial, house prices in Western Sydney. In 2021 the median monthly mortgage repayment in Liverpool households was about $1,993, relative to a weekly family income of $1,578. The median house price in Liverpool is approximately $900,000, compared with a Sydney-wide median of $1.3 million. Whilst there is that difference, a range of other factors present challenges for those in my community to access that great Australian dream that I referred to.
The rental reforms that the Government has proposed mean that tens of thousands of people will receive extra protection from the recent appointment of the State's first Rental Commissioner. Forty per cent of dwellings in Liverpool are rented, compared with the statewide average of 30 per cent. The Government is making it easier to allow pets in homes and is committed to further relief through the implementation of a portable bond scheme. All of these are incredibly important in addressing the challenges that face so many across the State of New South Wales. I will address a few other things that the Government is doing. The Government is bringing all relevant parts of our planning system under one Minister; under the previous Government, there were five. As can be imagined, many things fell through the cracks.
Mr Nathan Hagarty: Are we cutting red tape?
Ms CHARISHMA KALIYANDA: That is exactly right.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery): Order! The member for Davidson and the member for Leppington will cease interjecting.
Ms CHARISHMA KALIYANDA: That helps us to cut red tape, especially when it comes to overlapping responsibilities and delivering faster development application [DA] approval times. The Government cannot do all of this on its own, unfortunately. In the Liverpool electorate, waiting times for council DA approvals are the longest in this State.
Mr Nathan Hagarty: Shame!
Ms CHARISHMA KALIYANDA: Yes, that is absolutely a shame.
Ms Karen McKeown: Was it a Liberal mayor?
Ms CHARISHMA KALIYANDA: Of course. Unfortunately, the Government cannot do all of the heavy lifting, but all of these things that we are doing will go a long way further towards addressing the housing crisis in this State.
