Affordable Australian homes in Sydney will not become a reality unless "urban activists" slacken their 'not in my backyard' - or nimby - attitude, according to a new report.
Thinktank the McKell Institute warned that those who oppose the development of new homes in Sydney suburbs could freeze a generation of aspiring homeowners out of the market.
According to the authors of the McKell submission Tim Williams, Sean Macken and Peter Bentley, the current planning system places too much focus on mitigating the impact of local development and not enough on boosting the supply of homes.
McKell Institute executive director Peter Bentley told the Australian: "We need bold reformist ideas to tackle this problem and our action plan is designed to help spark that debate."
The latest report from the COAG Reform Council warned that 61 per cent of Australians with bottom-tier incomes are in housing stress, with inefficient taxation and planning cited as artificial barriers to producing affordable housing.
Posted by Steve Douglas
