An additional 20,000 homes are set to be built in New South Wales (NSW) over the next few years to provide convenient and affordable housing for the state's workers, it has been revealed.
Anthony Roberts, housing minister for the NSW government, made this announcement during a visit to Schofields, explaining that the new homes will help to create more construction jobs in the state, as well as new opportunities for property investors.
However, the main purpose of the plan for 20,000 new homes will be to help people who work in vital public fields in Sydney, such as nursing, teaching and policing, to gain a better work-life balance.
The government wants to ensure that these professionals can give their all to their job and enjoy their well-deserved downtime, without having to commute from miles outside of the city due to them being unable to afford quality housing closer to their workplaces. Average property prices in central Sydney come in at more than $1 million.
Mr Roberts explained: "Key worker housing is critical for our communities of the future. You'll see more and more key worker housing being included, particularly in uplift areas around the growth corridors.
"I don't want nurses travelling an hour and a half to go to their shift at Royal North Shore Hospital from the central coast. I don't want a police officer to travel an hour or more to go to his or her shift."
He added that this government was committed to making sure that all public services professionals have the opportunity to live within the community that they serve.
Several measures were also announced in last week's Federal Budget to make buying a house more affordable for hard-working Australians, with treasurer Scott Morrison revealing that a new salary-sacrifice saving option to help first-time buyers get on the property ladder.
