Housing Crisis on NRJO Agenda

Thursday, 24 June 2021

The housing crisis facing the Northern Rivers was the focus of the workshop held by the Northern Rivers Joint Organisation on Friday June 18 at the Tweed Shire Council Chambers in Murwillumbah.

The Board of the NRJO heard presentations from both the public and private sector that examined the extent of the issue, the way it affected different segments of society and the potential long and short-term solutions.

NRJO Chair, Cr Danielle Mulholland said social housing had always been a key priority of the NRJO, but that the lack of availability of housing generally had now reached a crisis level. So much so three of its six Councils – Byron, Tweed and Lismore – has declared a Housing Emergency.

“One of the unforeseen consequences of the pandemic has been the pressure on the housing market created by the return of hundreds of thousands of Australians from overseas and the unprecedented regional migration.

“The communities within the Northern Rivers have borne the brunt of the situation and have been subject to some of the largest increases in both rents and house prices in NSW, which has resulted in many people struggling to keep or find accommodation,” Cr Mulholland said.

The workshop heard that amongst the barriers were a lack of diversity in the size and type of housing available, the availability of suitable land and the supply effect of holiday letting on the overall housing stock.

“The NRJO will now look to work with the Regional Housing Taskforce announced by the Minister Stokes last week to fast track both long- and short-term solutions,” Cr Mulholland said.