2 April 2026

In this Edition...

1. One third of the way into the National Housing Accord 

2. 13,000 more homes planned for Sydney Olympic Park

3. Here’s a Federal Budget cost saving initiative - scrap the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council

... and much, much more.

4. City of Sydney - people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones
5. Infrastructure Australia’s Annual Performance Statement 
6. Council watch - The Hills, Ku-ring-gai & City of Sydney
7. ABS release on regional population – brain drain continues
8. Urban Taskforce member Occom recognised by Financial Times
9. Urban Property Group’s “The Waterfront” officially opened
10. NSW Sporting triumph for Mark Hovey, Executive Director of First Point Property
11. Members in the news

1. One third of the way into the National Housing Accord - signs that NSW is clicking into gear

ABS housing approvals data for the month of February gave industry hope that at last the cumulative impact of the Minns Government’s planning reforms are starting to make themselves felt, when it comes to approvals for standalone homes and apartments.

NSW saw a 10% turnaround on approvals – a better result off the back of disappointing January figures.

The cumulative impact of infill affordable housing bonus schemes, the LMR reforms, and some signs of life in the TODs are all combining to make a difference. The HDA pathway is starting to see early approvals, so hopefully this will lead to a surge in approvals through this stream. And the Government is rolling up its sleeve with State-led rezonings in strategic locations like Bays West, Blackwattle Bay, Burwood North, Woollahra Station, and Sydney Olympic Park.

A critical mass of approvals is now starting to take shape.

Urban Taskforce CEO Tom Forrest spoke with Channel 10 News First on the signs of hope coming from the ABS data and the State Government:

On the back of strong performances from NSW and Victoria (where approvals went up month by month by a massive 85%), the national figures were strong – nearing the 200,000 mark in terms of annualised approvals.

Despite these solid results, we are still a considerable way off the National Housing Accord targets.

2. 13,000 more homes planned for Sydney Olympic Park

Source: NSW Government

Given its ideal location and transport services, Sydney Olympic Park has long failed to live up to its potential for housing.

The Minns Government has now addressed this, through the release of the Sydney Olympic Park Master Plan 2050.

This is another plank in Plans B to Z that Urban Taskforce called for in the aftermath of the failed Rosehill Gardens deal.

 Key features of the now finalised Olympic Park Master Plan include:

• Building up to 13,000 additional homes to provide a total of 15,000 homes, including up to 20 percent affordable housing on Government owned land and 5 per cent on private land; and
• Increasing the capacity for up to 26,000 jobs by unlocking investment in innovation, culture, and commercial precincts.

We note the aspiration of “up to 20%" affordable housing, which is an indirect recognition that this is unlikely to be achieved.

At the end of the day, the market will decide if the 20% is feasible on Government owned land. 

Urban Taskforce analysed the key recommendations contained within the Masterplan:

All up – this is a welcome step by the Minns Government, building on its increasingly impressive array of Government controlled sites and leveraging them to facilitate jobs and housing.

3. Here’s a Federal Budget cost saving initiative - scrap the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council

AI generated image

In these fiscally straitened times, a quick perusal of the recent National Housing Supply and Affordability Council’s “Quarterly Report” filled us with little confidence as to its purpose and value.

The Quarterly Report, (the first publication from the Council since May 2025!!!!), consisted of a summary of monthly and quarterly ABS data - something we at Urban Taskforce do on a regular basis, along with analysis and implications.  They may as well have published our Newsletter! (for a modest fee far less than the cost of running this Council).

The report also provided a summary of the key supply initiatives implemented since the Accord – again simply a matter of compiling a list from each State and Territory. Chat GPT could have done this better.

This national board consists of 9 Board members, most of whom we assume are receiving sitting fees.

Urban Taskforce sees no value in this Advisory Council which seems only to regurgitate data from the ABS and compile lists from the States. It seems only should be wound up as a cost saving measure.

For what it’s worth, their first ever quarterly report can be read here.

4. City of Sydney - people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones

While the release of Government owned land for housing has been somewhat underwhelming to date, Urban Taskforce staff again choked on their cornflakes this week when they read an SMH story on City of Sydney calling for the NSW Government to do more to lift housing supply.

It is not too long ago (2022 to be precise) when the City of Sydney Council criticised plans for 1,500 apartments Blackwattle Bay as “gross overdevelopment”.

How times change.

While we do need all cylinders firing to overcome the housing supply crisis, the old adage of “people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones” came to mind. The Minns Government can rightfully point to precincts like Blackwattle Bay, Bays West, Woollahra Station and Sydney Olympic Park and dive sites at Camperdown (Westconnex) and Chatswood (Metro) as examples of it starting to leverage its own land to help with housing supply.

And as for City of Sydney?

                                                                                                                                               AI generated image

This Council should be one of the principal drivers of housing supply – but instead it has drifted to the point where right now, it is the 7^th worst Sydney council in terms of meeting its Accord targets.

Instead of the bike lane mania, social engineering experiments and never-ending debates over grand plans for a new civic square – City of Sydney should be focussed on facilitating housing in the heart of Sydney.

Instead, we get more discussion papers, advisory panels, and a litany of empty platitudes that do nothing to help lift the State out of its housing supply crisis.

5. Infrastructure Australia’s Annual Performance Statement – inadvertently boosting the One Nation vote

It must be reporting season for Canberra based government agencies. Infrastructure Australia’s latest Annual Performance Statement shows a transport-heavy pipeline, with road and rail making up almost all of the Australian Government investment analysed.

It is so adrift from the needs of working class Australians that it adds to alienation and boosts the protest vote.

The Statement does highlight growing project slippage and cost-escalation, while urging earlier planning, stronger cost estimates and better post-completion review to improve delivery and value for money.

The Statement analysed 72 projects, including 69 transport projects: 27% had delayed start dates, while 44% saw construction timeframes increase between Budget 2023–24 and Budget 2024–25. It also highlighted a shift toward more rigorous demand forecasting, sustainability and decarbonisation, and early cross-government collaboration as key priorities for future infrastructure delivery.

Comment

For too long political pet projects have been given an inside running when it comes to favoured projects within IA (think inland rail and the high-speed rail). Yet IA is supposed to be independent of Government.  The fact that High Speed Rail got onto the priority list brings the entire organisation under a large question mark.

Urban Taskforce believes that the bias towards mega projects has come at the expense of housing enabling infrastructure that would deliver much greater value to Australia’s economy.

Skilled migration drives productivity growth.  It adds to the growth population and, in periods of low unemployment, new arrivals immediately move into jobs and pay taxes.  They have a higher participation rate than the average Australian family.

But … for all this good, migrants require housing.  If the economic boffins at IA can’t see the benefit of funding housing related infrastructure at a time when housing project feasibility is going down the S-bend, then perhaps they should join the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council on the scrap heap.

The political consequences of a misguided infrastructure program

The rise of One Nation has been driven by genuine anger that average people are being left behind, especially in relation to access to housing.  There is a large cohort of working-class middle-aged males (in particular) who resent missing out on wealth accumulation through home ownership. Support for One Nation has also grown among the youth vote – and that should ring alarm bells.

These already disenchanted cohorts of voters see migrants coming in and this bolsters their resentment.  They look for a party of protest and One Nation is the beneficiary.  This is a reality and it is as much a threat to Labor in the medium term as in is to the Coalition.

While this may be beyond the remit of Infrastructure Australia, reports like this one help stoke the fire of discontent.

6. Council watch

The Hills proposes a crane tax!??

This takes the cake - a new tax on housing supply is not the answer.

Instead of reducing fees and charges, the Hills Council wants to slug new home buyers with the cost of a “crane tax”. It is considering imposing a $370 application fee and $610 weekly fee for developers using fixed tower and mobile cranes whenever any part of it occupies or swings over public land or adjacent private property.

Deicorp told the Telegraph the charges would add $127,000 to the cost of a construction site with 2 cranes operating for 2 years. We await the draft exhibition of the proposal which will be released shortly. Rather than putting it on exhibition – the proposal should go where it truly belongs – in the bin.

Ku-ring-gai Council makes not one, but two submissions opposing a project with 46 affordable homes

With the endless bleating of some Councils over the lack of affordable housing, Ku-ring-gai Council has reverted back to its NIMBY ways by writing 2 submissions against an infill affordable housing project in Roseville.

In a good result for Aqualand, DPHI approved the project as well-located housing and in the broader public interest. In doing so, DPHI rejected Council’s position, showing the value of the Minns Government’s infill affordable housing bonus scheme to facilitate more market and affordable housing.

The project will deliver 134 market and 46 affordable housing units. That’s 180 homes that would have been blocked and thwarted if it was not for State Government reforms.

This project will deliver a massive increase to affordable housing in Ku-ring-gai.

There was of course the typical doom and gloom from local residents – from traffic, decrease in wellbeing and quality of life – along with fears of flooding and fire. We haven’t seen the four horsemen of the apocalypse appear in any submissions to date – but give it time…

As we keep saying – NIMBY councils like affordable housing in theory, not in practice.

The Urban Taskforce research team took a field day out and managed to find only 67 affordable housing units in the entire Ku-ring-gai LGA presently after 20 years of inclusionary zoning efforts.

This single project will deliver 46 new affordable dwellings but Council opposed it. Speaks for itself.

City of Sydney

We noted a few weeks ago that City of Sydney was establishing a “Housing for All” local housing strategy. At the time we were concerned that the strategy was more about bashing the NSW Government, particular with half-baked criticisms of state led rezonings and assessments.

The response so far? Establish an advisory panel! (there could be some potential members made available from Canberra if Albo implements the Urban Taskforce platform – or possibly not).

When you look at the composition of this panel, it appears to be very light on positions for those who actually build and deliver housing or finance development. But there are at least 3 councillors making sure they deliver the “right advice”!

Expect a lot of ‘nice’ but financially fanciful ideas coming from this strategy….

The further we read the draft, the more concerned we were, particularly when we came to this section:

You’re the seventh worst Sydney council in terms of pro rata approvals, as judged against Housing Accord targets – maybe addressing this failure is a good place to start???

7. ABS release on regional population – brain drain continues

Annual ABS population data released this week showed that Sydney lost 33,000 people to other Australian state and territories. Part of this is the brain drain that the NSW Premier Chris Minns keeps warning about.

Sydney’s population, as at the end of last financial year, was estimated at 5.64 million. With Melbourne now a mere 200,000 residents away from becoming the largest city in Australia.

Sydney (far left column), continues to lose population to other states like Queensland

8. Urban Taskforce member Occom recognised by the Financial Times

Occom has been recognised by the Financial Times as one of the High-Growth Companies in Asia-Pacific for 2026, marking the fourth consecutive year of this recognition since 2023.

Each year, the Financial Times, in partnership with Statista, publishes a special report identifying the fastest-growing companies across 11 Asia-Pacific economies, spanning major markets including Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Singapore, and Malaysia.

This recognition is a significant landmark for Occom, reinforcing its dedication to delivering top-quality internet services to customers across Australia. As the preferred Internet Service Provider for top property developers in Australia, such as Meriton, JQZ, and Sekisui House, Occom understands that reliable connectivity is fundamental to the resident experience in any new development.

Occom specialises in seamless same-day activations where possible, 365-day multilingual support, and industry-leading response times, with customers reaching a live representative in an average of just 20 seconds.

This latest accolade follows Occom being named the #1 Leader in the AFR Customer Champions Awards 2025 (Challenger B2C category), backed by a 31% compound annual growth rate from FY2021–2025 and over 13,000 five-star Google reviews. Occom’s growth is built not on aggressive acquisition, but on genuine service excellence and the loyalty of its customers and development partners.

Learn more at https://occom.com.au/

9. Urban Property Group’s “The Waterfront” officially opened

More good news from the Central Coast with Urban Property Group’s The Waterfront was officially opened

UPG’s Co-CEO’s Mark and Patrick Elias, along with Chairman George Elias joined local MP Liesl Tesch at the opening

Comprising 1, 2, 3 and 4 bed apartments, The Waterfront is coast living at its best, offering unparalleled water views. Set on the edge of Brisbane Water, it blends designer apartments with open plan living, spacious balconies, rooftop amenity and retail to create a new landmark for the Central Coast.

It is always pleasing to report on significant milestones achieved by Urban Taskforce members in delivering quality housing for rapidly changing cities like Gosford.

10. NSW Sporting triumph for Mark Hovey, Executive Director of First Point Property

Finally, our spies across the ditch (well the CEO on a 2 day break to see the NZ male soccer team’s first ever victory over a South American side – they beat Chile 4-1) bumped into Urban Taskforce member Mark Hovey at Auckland airport, who was celebrating a magnificent victory for the NSW cohort of gourmet golfers over the vanquished Victorians.

Congratulations Mark.

11. Members in the news

“Communities developer Stockland has bought a major estate in a North Melbourne suburb, the final development opportunity of its scale in the growth hub” … read more ...

The Urban Developer, 27 March

The 33.4ha site on 25 Hunters Road was reportedly acquired by Stockland in a deal worth about $120 million. The estate in up-and-coming South Morang is approved for 387 lots of about 421sq m, and two additional medium density sites for up to 200 homes. 

There is also a 3600sq m commercial/mixed-use site included in the sale.

“Platino Properties’ retirement precinct in Sydney’s Northern Beaches continues to expand, with concept and stage 1 approval granted for another 349 independent living units and a residential care facility” … read more ...

The Urban Developer, 31 March

The State Significant Development approval means Platino can now proceed with developing another six resident-funded buildings of up to 13 storeys at 1-3 Skyline Place, Frenchs Forest, over the road from Platino’s Jardin retirement community. An estimated development cost of $168 million is attached to stage 1, but more is to follow, with $343 million proposed for the overall phase of development.

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