Dismantling NIMBYism is critical to boosting Australia’s housing supply, says Turnbull

Challenging the ‘not in my backyard’ behaviour of interest groups is critical to solving the housing crisis, says former PM Malcolm Turnbull.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Encouraging everyday Australians to engage with policy and reject the “NIMBY” movement is critical to boosting housing construction while there’s an acute shortage of homes around the country, says former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Mr Turnbull told the Property Council’s annual congress in Adelaide that councils and builders must take on the anti-development ‘‘not in my backyard’’ movement in order to get more homes built.

“You’ve got to be prepared to take on NIMBYism,” Mr Turnbull said. “It’s really hard because every one of those NIMBYs is a voter but the alternative is what we’re experiencing.”

The comments were made the day after the Greens and Labor came to an agreement on the Housing Australia Future Fund, which will now see 30,000 new social and affordable homes built in the first five years of the fund’s operation from 2024, on top of the target of a million homes.

Commercial and General chief executive Trevor Cooke said the industry operated at an “informational disadvantage” to consumers. “That information disadvan­tage creates by necessity distrust,” Mr Cooke said.

“So, our response to that, in particular with groups like the not-for-profit sector, healthcare, affordable housing, is education and to really form that partnership from the outset.”

However, former Labor politician and musician Peter Garrett pledged his support of the movement, likening it to wider activism. “I declare my colours by saying that I love the not-in-my-backyarders,” Mr Garrett said.

“After all, if someone isn’t willing to dig in, to protect something close to them, like their home, then what hope do any of us have?”

Mr Garrett conceded that stopping urban sprawl and focusing on urban infill was the way forward.

Supply was the way forward, Mr Turnbull said, dismissing the idea that removing negative gearing would improve housing affordability.

“If you want to make housing more affordable, you’ve got to have more housing,” he said.

“We’ve had great debates about negative gearing … to be honest, I don’t think it’ll make any difference to housing supply, and it certainly won’t make housing more affordable. If you look around the world and you see so many markets where there is no negative gearing, and all the same problems arise.”