Shoalhaven councillor Jemma Tribe proposes Affordable Housing Action Taskforce

A regional councillor has come up with an action plan to ease the housing affordability crisis impacting the NSW south coast. Here’s the latest.

The taskforce aims to lower housing prices in the Shoalhaven.

A regional councillor has proposed a multi-government level taskforce, aimed at tackling the housing affordability crisis across the south coast region.

Independent Shoalhaven councillor and local businesswoman, Jemma Tribe, has revealed her plan to create the Affordable Housing Action Taskforce, a group of elected councillors, state and federal members, the mayor, council staff and external representatives who will work together to find ways to lower the Shoalhaven’s median housing prices.

Ms Tribe said the group would achieve this by “collaborating and driving forward opportunities outlined in Shoalhaven Council’s newly released “Affordable Housing Strategy 2024”.

The strategy aims to calculate the affordable housing needs of very low, low and moderate income households and build a framework to create more affordable housing.

Ms Tribe said the proposed taskforce would ensure the correct implementation of the strategy.

Shoalhaven councillor, Jemma Tribe.

“Now that we have this new housing plan, we need a team to implement it, otherwise it’s not going to have any real benefit,” she told this publication.

Ms Tribe likened her idea to council’s ‘Riverfront Activation Taskforce’, a group created to define the future direction for development of the Nowra riverfront.

Shoalhaven Council will vote on the taskforce on Monday.

“It’s all about getting the right heads in the room,” she said.

“It’s not a criticism of council staff, but it’s an admittal that this is an issue that needs multi-government levels of support.”

The proposal comes months after data from CoreLogic – a property data firm in Australia and New Zealand – revealed the Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands had a 1.6 per cent increase in median house prices over the past year, with almost the entirety of the rise occurring in as little as three months.

This brought the new median house price in the Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands to $931,391.

CoreLogic research director Tim Lawless.

CoreLogic research director Tim Lawless said despite the rising prices, sales were increasing along the south coast and in other regional areas.

“Housing demand has been buoyed by high migration, but also tight rental markets that have probably incentivised renters to transition toward home ownership if they can afford to do so,” he said.

However, Ms Tribe said something drastic needed to happen across the region.

“Hindsight is a beautiful thing and we need to learn from the past and work out what we can do,” she said.

She said she was optimistic the motion would pass.

“I’ve had a conversation with a few councillors and they all seem to be comfortable with the idea,” Ms Tribe said.

“I hope it does get unanimous support, because we can’t just sit by and let housing prices continue to rise.”

The council will vote on the proposed taskforce when they meet on Monday.

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