‘Wasn’t my best work’: Housing Minister addresses ‘garbled’ comment

NSW Housing Minister Rose Jackson has walked back comments made in her “garbled” interview after being slammed for suggesting a two-bedder is just $200 to rent in Sydney.

NSW Housing Minister Rose Jackson has defended her “garbled” interview on Thursday, in which she claimed it was reasonable to rent a two-bedroom apartment in Sydney for “a couple of hundred bucks”.

Ms Jackson was accused of being “out of touch” after speaking to Hamish Macdonald on ABC Radio yesterday when she was asked what was a reasonable price to pay in rent in Sydney.

Speaking to parliament on Thursday, Ms Jackson said that her performance in the interview “wasn’t excellent” and that her answer reflected what Sydneysiders should pay in rent in an ideal world.

Housing Minister Rose Jackson said she “garbled” the interview in which she claimed rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Sydney was $200. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

“I do reckon a couple of hundred bucks is a reasonable rent, wouldn’t that be great if that is what you could find for rentals,” she said.

“I absolutely do accept … that we are a long way from that in Sydney.

“Certainly my interview wasn’t excellent, it wasn’t my best work.”

Ms Jackson also took to social media this morning to explain herself further.

“I don’t think rent is actually $200 in Sydney,” she posted.

“I can be a pretty intense person whose words don’t always come out nice and succinct.

“I have a history of getting a bit mangled in live interviews.”

In Wednesday’s interview Ms Jackson was asked what she thought “is a reasonable price to pay in rent for a two-bedroom flat in Sydney”, she responded by saying the figure depended on where in Sydney the rental property is.

“Sydney’s a big city, you know, I mean, a couple of hundred bucks, right?” Ms Jackson said.

When she was pressed further about where in Sydney it was possible to find a two-bedroom property for $200, Ms Jackson replied: “There are places in Sydney you can”.

“Not all flats are the same,” she said.

Opposition Housing spokesman Scott Farlow said the original comment was “completely out of touch”.

“It just shows the government is completely out of touch with the reality for renters across Sydney,” he said.

“Rather than a ‘couple of hundred bucks’, the median two bed flat in Sydney costs $720 a week.

“It’s an extraordinary comment.”

In the wake of her comment, Ms Jackson said she had received a tirade of abuse, including one email where she was told “resign from your position or kill yourself.”

Searches on major rental listing websites Domain and Realestate.com on Thursday found no two bedroom units for under $200 in Greater Sydney. In fact there were only four available to rent in the state, all in remote towns.

Tenants’ Union of NSW policy and advocacy manager Jemima Mowbray said data from the rental bond board showed that there had been 23 two bedroom apartments rented for less than $200 per week in Greater Sydney since July 2024, although many of those would have likely been by private agreement.

“We’re confident Minister Jackson does understand the pressure on housing costs and rents that many renters are experiencing across NSW,” Ms Mowbray said.

“The lack of affordable rental homes is something she has previously highlighted, and housing costs and the need for rental reform is something the NSW Government has talked about as a priority issue for them.

“But we’d also love to see a broader conversation about what other tools or measures governments could be considering to help address rent prices.”