Affordable Housing Action Taskforce - 15/06/2026

Decisions

• Report received for information
  The taskforce resolved by consent to receive the report for information.
  No direct service or policy change was made, but the discussion highlights pressures that can affect future affordable housing supply and delivery.

Discussion

• Institutional funding for affordable housing
  Members discussed examples of funding models that support long-term affordable and social housing, including pooled capital structures and potential participation by superannuation funds, government and sovereign wealth funds.
  This could affect how new affordable homes are financed and delivered over time.
• Superannuation investment settings
  Mr Michael Comninos noted recent federal budget changes to superannuation investment benchmarks may make it more feasible for super funds to invest in affordable housing.
  Changes in investment rules may increase the pool of money available for housing projects.
• Affordable Housing Managers legislation
  Ms Rachel Foster raised the state legislation introducing Affordable Housing Managers and its likely effect on whether Community Housing Providers or alternative managers can run developments.
  This may change who manages affordable housing projects and how they operate.
• Regional investment barriers
  Members said institutional finance is likely to favour metropolitan areas first, with regional projects such as Shoalhaven smaller and less attractive unless they are aggregated into larger funds.
  Regional communities may wait longer for large-scale affordable housing investment unless new funding models emerge.
• Build-to-rent viability and tax settings
  The discussion noted build-to-sell projects are generally more viable than build-to-rent because of GST settings, which make rental developments less financially attractive.
  This affects the type of housing developers are likely to build, which can influence rental supply.
• Development market conditions and low-deposit schemes
  Concerns were raised about federal low-deposit schemes and the risk of negative equity for around 250,000 participants in a falling market, alongside a view that current conditions discourage new development.
  Housing affordability and lending conditions may affect future supply and buyer risk.
• Short-term rental accommodation and concierge service
  Mr Ben Folkard questioned how Council will ensure its concierge service works for the Shoalhaven region, especially given concerns about short-term rental accommodation growth.
  Local planning and tourism-style accommodation settings may influence rental availability for residents.
• Advanced development assessment and AI
  Staff said they are awaiting further state government guidance on short-term rental policy and will introduce an advanced development assessment pathway cautiously; members were also told to prepare for agentic AI impacts on assessment work.
  Residents and applicants may see changes in how development applications are assessed in future.

Impacts

• Potential future increase in affordable housing funding if institutional investors participate.
• Possible changes to who manages affordable housing developments under new state legislation.
• Regional areas like Shoalhaven may face slower access to large-scale capital unless projects are aggregated.
• Short-term rental policy and planning settings may affect housing availability and development assessment processes.

Next

• Await further state government guidance on the short-term rental accommodation policy framework
  Ongoing / before implementing further assessment changes
• Share further information on agentic AI impacts with members after the meeting
  Post-meeting
• Follow up on contact between Council and the Registrar in DCJ regarding Affordable Housing Managers
  To be arranged
• Continue work toward an advanced development assessment team
  In progress

Extract

Meeting Minutes MINUTES OF THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING ACTION TASKFORCE Meeting Date: Monday, 15 June 2026 Location: Jervis Bay Room, City Administrative Centre, Bridge Road, Nowra Time: 4.00pm The following members were present: Clr Jemma Tribe – Acting Chairperson Clr Luciano Casmiri Clr Karlee Dunn (Remotely) Mr Ron Silberberg Mr Graham Sweet Mr Peter Wells (Remotely) Mr Paul Mitchell (Remotely) Mr Craig Hadfield Ms Penny Hood – Care South Ms Natalie Allen - Southern Cross Housing (Remotely) Ms Rachel Foster – The Housing Trust (Remotely) Ms Sue Brown – Homes NSW (Remotely) Mr Nathan Boulous - Urban Development Institute of Australia Ms Jennifer Macquarie - Property Council of Australia (Remo...