Gurmesh Singh addresses 794 person public housing wait list

MP seeks to dilute responsibility for 794 person housing waitlist in Coffs Harbour but offers glimmer of hope with Argyll Estate redevelopment.

Standing opposite a new CBD social housing development being delivered by Mission Australia, Gurmesh Singh has given his take on where social housing is headed in the near future.

But taking responsibility for the region’s 10-year waitlist seems some way away.

The Coffs Harbour MP was at the new social housing project on Duke St to announce a $162,000 investment in the Mission Australia Centre, a community service centre which will operate next door to the five storey apartment complex.

Social housing wait times have increased across Coffs Harbour since 2018, with the 5-10 year queue for a 2-4 bedroom house increasing to more than 10 years at June 2020.

Mr Singh was asked whether having a 794 person waiting list was good enough and responded by saying the state of NSW “punches well above average” in terms of its social housing stock. But he acknowledged the waitlist was shorter in other NSW cities.

“I think we all need to acknowledge as a society that there will always be a waitlist,” Mr Singh said. “I don’t know of any country that has got it down to zero – ultimately this does come at a cost to the taxpayer.

“But we are doing more and it’s a case of doing more slowly over time to increase our stock.”

Lipman project manager Mike Zucker, Mission Australia regional manager Charoah Evans and Coffs Harbour MP Gurmesh Singh in front of Mission Australia's social housing and community building development on Duke St Coffs Harbour. Photo: Tim Jarrett

NSW streets ahead on dwelling numbers

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare NSW vastly outnumbered other states when it comes to social housing dwellings, with the state holding 35 per cent of the country’s social housing stock.

With 111,341 of those dwellings classed as public housing and despite having almost double the number of dwellings than Victoria, NSW has remarkably similar waitlist with 51,395 seeking a home compared with 50,839 down south.

By the end of the year Coffs Harbour will have 40 more single units courtesy of Mission Australia who, along with Community Housing Ltd, administer social housing on the Coffs Coast.

Regional Manager Charoah Evans was excited to see the building, which will be a mix of social and affordable housing, take shape.

“That’s 40 people in the community that are going to have a place to call home at the end of the year,” Ms Evans said.

An artists impression of Mission Australia's planned social housing development on Duke St, Coffs Harbour. Construction of the 40 one-bedroom apartments in due to commence later this year.

All eyes on Argyll Estate

Plans to redevelop sections of land in west Coffs known as the Argyll Estate have been afoot for some time. Expressions of interest in transforming an area which holds 127 state government-owned properties closed recently. 

The NSW government wants the private sector to bring innovative ideas to the table in order to renew the space and Mr Singh said they were looking at how they might replicate Mission Australia’s Duke St development.

“Here we have 40 social homes going up on about a 200 square metre block,” he said. When we look at the Argyll Estate we see many blocks there that are 100 square metres with a small home on one corner of it.”

“The beauty of the Argyll Estate is that it is within walking distance to many facilities, so we have shopping centre nearby, many amenities nearby and it is an estate that is in need of some renewal.

“We can kill two birds with one stone there, not only provide brand new social housing but also lift and improve the rest of the estate. I think it is a great win for everybody.”

There are plans by the NSW Government to potentially redevelop 'Argyll Estate' as the Coffs Coast experiences ongoing housing challenges, including affordability and a shortage of new homes. Photo: Jasmine Minhas

Who takes responsibility?

While public housing is the responsibility of the state government, all levels of government contribute in some way to the housing crisis regional cities find themselves in.

Depending on who you speak to, the problem is supply brought on by councils not approving enough development applications, or its exacerbated by federal government tax incentives, or its simply a case of successive state governments not building enough new public housing.

Mr Singh said the “tremendous pressure” in housing was only made worse by the pandemic, which in turn impacted social housing. However, when asked at what point the government should accept responsibility for the high numbers, Mr Singh sought to shift the focus.

“This is a society wide issue and government has a role to play and so does the non government sector, so does the private sector and so does the people in their individual circumstances as well,” he said.

“Social housing in NSW is a privilege that we give to certain people that are disadvantaged. Obviously as a government we are working to improve our housing stock, not just social housing but in the private sector as well.