Agenda of Affordable Housing Action Taskforce

Affordable Housing Action Taskforce – Monday 22 September 2025

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Membership

Voting

Mayor White - Chairperson

Clr Casmiri

Clr Tribe

Clr Dunn

Ron Silberberg – Community Representative

Peter Wells – Community Representative

Paul Mitchell – Community Representative

Craig Hadfield – Community Representative

Graham Sweet – Community Representative

Jenayah Gunson - Youth Representative

Kahlia Miller – Aboriginal Representative

Alex Pontello - Southern Cross Housing

Rachel Foster - The Housing Trust

Sue Brown - Homes NSW

Nathan Boulous - Urban Development Institute of Australia

Jennifer Macquarie - Property Council of Australia

Peter Dover - Salt Care

Renee Knight - Care South

Sarah Date - Safe Waters

Non-voting

All other Councillors

CEO (or Nominee)

State and Federal Members

Additional representatives of relevant Government Agencies, Community Organisations, Community Housing Providers, Service Providers, and the development industry.

Relevant Shoalhaven City Council staff required to support or inform the Taskforce’s considerations, for example representatives of Strategic Planning, Development Assessment, Strategic Property, and Community Connections.

Quorum - Seven (7) provided that a minimum of one (1) Councillor, two (2) community representatives, and two (2) voting agency representatives are in attendance.

Purpose

The purpose of the Affordable Housing Action Taskforce (the Taskforce) is to support Shoalhaven City Council’s implementation of its Affordable Housing Strategy 2024. Council recognises the benefits of working with others to implement its Strategy. The Taskforce will lead work to execute the actions set in the Strategy by leveraging the knowledge, skills, and connections of its members in the planning and delivery of affordable housing (for rent or purchase) and related industries.

The purpose of the Taskforce aligns with Council’s:

· Community Strategic Plan, supporting Key Priority 1.1 Support inclusive, safe, and connected communities

· Local Strategic Planning Statement, supporting Planning Priority 1 Providing homes to meet all needs and lifestyles

Role

· Provide Council with advice on the implementation of the Strategy, guided by its members skills, expertise, and experience.

· Use network, government, and industry connections to inform and drive the implementation of actions set in the Strategy.

· Utilise networks and connections to promote the Taskforces awareness raising, education, and advocacy campaigns.

· Advise on the development, review and implementation of the Strategy.

· Monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of the Strategy.

Delegations

The Taskforce may make recommendations to Council on all matters within the role outlined above. These recommendations may be submitted via the minutes of each meeting to Council for consideration. This does not include substantial issues and recommendations (possibly including expenditure) which will be reported to Council by a separate report prepared by Manager – Strategic Planning. The Committee does not have the power to incur expenditure (directly or indirectly), or the power to bind Council.

Affordable Housing Action Taskforce – Monday 22 September 2025

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AH25.1 Overview - Shoalhaven Affordable Housing Strategy (2024)

HPERM Ref: D25/400736

Department: Strategic Planning

Approver: Gordon Clark, Acting Director - City Development

Purpose

To provide an overview of the Shoalhaven Affordable Housing Strategy (2024) and the activities recommended in it to increase the supply of affordable housing and improve the affordability of housing in Shoalhaven.

Summary and Key Points for Consideration

Council staff will provide a short presentation on the Strategy at the meeting and a paper copy of the document and supporting research papers will also be provided to Taskforce members.

Council’s requirement to act on affordable housing is guided by the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 which requires local government “to promote the delivery and maintenance of affordable housing”. The Strategy sets actions to promote the supply of affordable housing and diverse low-cost market housing options in Shoalhaven. These actions are focused on four key delivery strategies:

· Direct Government Delivery: Actions Council can take to either directly deliver affordable housing and diverse low-cost market housing or support the delivery of affordable housing through avenues such as grants and loans, utilisation of Council-owned land and leaseback and build-own-operate-transfer schemes. These actions can be undertaken solely by Council or in partnership with key stakeholders such as CHP’s, developers and government agencies.

· Indirect Market Delivery: Actions Council can take to facilitate the delivery of affordable housing and diverse low-cost market housing through the private development industry, such as changes to planning and development controls.

· A Supportive and Innovative Framework: Actions Council can take to ensure affordable housing is responsive to the needs of Shoalhaven’s residents and is delivered as needed.

· Advocating and Raising Awareness: Actions Council can take to support the delivery of affordable housing and remove any associated stigmas by influencing the State and Commonwealth Government and other key stakeholders.

Recommendation

That the Taskforce accept this overview report on the current Shoalhaven Affordable Housing Strategy (2024) and the associated presentations for information.

Options

1. As recommended.

Implications: The Taskforce will receive an introduction to the Strategy and its key findings and recommended actions.

2. An alternative resolution.

Implications: Will depend on the nature of any alternative resolution, which could include requests for more information.

Background and Supplementary information

Shoalhaven Affordable Housing Strategy 2024

Council prepared and formally adopted the Strategy in August 2024 to guide its contribution to addressing the existing affordable housing challenges throughout Shoalhaven. The current Strategy builds on the earlier Shoalhaven Affordable Housing Strategy that was released in 2018. The current Strategy and associated research papers were prepared for Council by Hill PDA Consulting Pty Ltd with funding provided by the NSW Government’s Regional Housing Strategic Planning Fund.

The Strategy outlines methods to increase housing supply and improve affordability through planning controls, development contributions, use of public land, and advocacy efforts. It aligns with Council’s existing strategies, including the Shoalhaven 2032 Community Strategic Plan and Shoalhaven 2040 Local Strategic Planning Statement.

The Strategy:

1. Defines affordable housing as a specific housing type, including benchmarks, benefits, challenges, and associated issues.

2. Calculates the affordable housing needs of very low-, low- and moderate-income households in Shoalhaven.

3. Protects existing affordable housing stock within Shoalhaven.

4. Identifies and advocates for improved housing affordability.

5. Sets actions Council can take to increase the supply of affordable housing and diverse low-cost market housing to improve affordability outcomes directly and more generally.

6. Creates a monitoring and review framework to report on the impact and effectiveness of the Strategy.

Affordable Housing Need in Shoalhaven

State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021 sets measures to identify the households eligible for affordable housing. These triggers are as follows:

· Very low-income households: Households with a gross income lower than 50% of the median household income for Greater Sydney or the Rest of NSW.

· Low-income household: Households with a gross income between 50% and 80% of the median household income for Greater Sydney or the Rest of NSW.

· Moderate-income household: Households with gross income between 80% and 120% of the median household income for Greater Sydney or the Rest of NSW.

Data from the 2021 Census, the most recent census at the writing of the Strategy, was applied to the above eligibility criteria to identify the following household income brackets in Shoalhaven.

Application of these criteria to Shoalhaven’s communities identifies about 2,150 households need of affordable housing, or about 5% of all households.

Household type	Household income (weekly)	30% of household income spent on rent (weekly)
Very low income	$0 - $716	$0 - $214
Low income	$717 - $1,146	$215 - $343
Moderate income	$1, 417 - $1, 720	$344 - $515

Key Actions and Timeframes

The Strategy and associated research papers provide the findings of analysis into the supply and demand of affordable housing in Shoalhaven to inform a range of short-, medium, and long-term actions for implementation from 2024 to 2030. These actions range from the creation and adjustment of new planning and development controls to collaboration with various stakeholders and agencies to deliver affordable housing in Shoalhaven.

ACTION	DESCRIPTION
Short Term Actions (to be completed within 2 years)
1.1	Complete a desktop audit of Council-owned land to identify opportunities for future affordable housing utilisation.
1.2	Implement an affordable housing contributions scheme.
1.3	Consider planning and development controls to facilitate manufactured home estates closer to urban centres.
1.4	Develop strategic principles for affordable housing.
1.5	Provide dwelling assessment support to affordable and high-density housing development applications.
1.6	Create a collaboration agreement with preferred CHPs.
1.7	Continue advocacy to the NSW Government and NSW Government on key affordable housing issues.
1.8	Run an education campaign about the benefits of affordable and diverse low-cost market housing.
Medium Term Actions (to be completed within 2 to 4 years)
2.1	Investigate a shared equity or joint venture development model with a CHP.
2.2	Investigate meanwhile uses on identified Council land.
2.3	Consider targeted bonuses in planning controls to encourage the supply of affordable or higher density housing and the preparation of development controls that support and supplement these bonuses.
2.4	Consider adjusting planning controls to increase densities in strategic centres, new release areas and existing residential areas.
2.5	Investigate the potential for co-living housing near town and village centres.
2.6	Facilitate opportunities for home owners and manufactured home estate operators to deliver tiny homes.
Long Term Actions (to be completed within 4-6 years)
3.1	Dedicate Council-owned land to innovative affordable housing developments.
3.2	Investigate pilot projects of exemplary diverse and affordable housing types to increase market confidence.
3.3	Introduce guidelines to increase dwelling diversity in greenfield developments.

Internal Consultations

No internal consultations were undertaken in the preparation of this report.

The preparation of the Strategy included internal consultation with several teams across Council including Development Services and Community Connections.

External Consultations

No external consultations were undertaken to prepare this report.

External agencies, organisations, and stakeholders have been invited to provide presentations on their roles and current work to the Taskforce.

Community Consultations

No community consultations were undertaken to prepare this report.

The preparation of the Strategy included community consultation.

Policy and Statutory Implications

The Taskforce has been established to assist Council in achieving its long-standing commitment to providing adequate housing for Shoalhaven’s communities in accordance with the Shoalhaven Affordable Housing Strategy 2024, which aligns with Council’s vision and intended work in its Community Strategic Plan and Local Strategic Planning Statement.

Financial Implications

There are no direct financial implications related to this report.

Risk Implications

There are no direct risks generated by this report.

Affordable Housing Action Taskforce – Monday 22 September 2025

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AH25.2 Delivering Affordable Housing - Roles and Responsibilities of Agencies, Organisations, and other Stakeholders

HPERM Ref: D25/397504

Department: Strategic Planning

Approver: Gordon Clark, Acting Director - City Development

Purpose:

To provide information and clarification on the roles, responsibilities and work of various agencies, organisations and other stakeholders providing and managing Affordable Housing, Social or Community Housing, and other forms of crisis or transitional accommodation given the focus of this Taskforce.

Summary and Key Points for Consideration:

Presentations will be provided at the meeting by representatives of Homes NSW, Southern Cross Housing, the Housing Trust, Care South, Salt Care, and Safe Waters.

The presentations will cover the roles, responsibilities, and current or planned work to deliver new Affordable, Social or Community Housing and other forms of crisis or transitional accommodation in Shoalhaven.

Recommendation

That the Taskforce accept this report and the associated presentations for information.

Options

1. As recommended.

Implications: Members of the Affordable Housing Action Taskforce (the Taskforce) will receive information on the roles, responsibilities, and work of various agencies, organisations and other stakeholders delivering Affordable, Social or Community Housing, and other forms of crisis or transitional accommodation.

2. An alternative recommendation.

Implications: Will depend on the nature of any alternative resolution, which could include requests for more information, presentations from other stakeholders etc.

Background and Supplementary information

As a specific housing product, the definition of “Affordable Housing” relates to housing developed under legal land use planning documents (also known as environmental planning instruments) for households with very low, low, or moderate incomes. For this housing type, mortgage repayments and rents are set at a price so that households can still afford other essential living costs, such as food, clothing, transportation, medical care, and education.

There is a common misconception that Affordable Housing is the same as social housing, also referred to as Public Housing or Community Housing, however this is not the case. Many residents in need of Affordable Housing in Shoalhaven are those who earn a steady income but are still unable to meet their housing needs. This includes younger residents looking to move out of home, key workers, people with disability, single parents and elderly residents looking to downsize.

Another area of confusion is between “Affordable Housing” and “housing affordability”. While Affordable Housing is a specific type of housing, housing affordability is a general term for how affordable renting or purchasing a house is. A commonly used metric is whether households spend over 30% of their gross income on rent or mortgage payments, signifying rental or mortgage stress.

As shown in Figure 1 below, Affordable Housing is part of the wider “housing continuum” ranging from subsidised social housing on one end, to completely unsubsidised market housing/home ownership on the other. People may move back and forth along the spectrum throughout their lifetime, depending on circumstances, aspirations, and/or market capacity. For some people, affordable housing provides a stepping-stone to market housing, while for others it provides an essential safety net during challenging times.

A diagram of housing prices

AI-generated content may be incorrect.

Figure 1: The Housing Continuum

Council’s role in delivering Affordable Housing and the work it proposes to undertake to increase the supply of Affordable Housing and low-cost market housing is outlined in the Shoalhaven Affordable Housing Strategy 2024. This work includes:

· Identifying the housing needs of Shoalhaven’s communities and ways to meet these housing needs.

· Protect existing Affordable Housing within Shoalhaven, and

· Advocate for improved housing affordability.

Social housing and homelessness are also intrinsically linked to Affordable Housing and housing affordability, however they are generally outside the direct remit of Council. Notwithstanding this, Council collaborates with Homes NSW and community housing providers to address social housing issues in Shoalhaven. Council also contributes to efforts to address homelessness with local services and organisations in line with the Shoalhaven Community Led Plan for Homelessness (published in 2022).

Internal Consultations

No internal consultations were required or undertaken to prepare this report.

The Shoalhaven Affordable Housing Strategy was prepared with detailed internal consultation.

External Consultations

No external consultations were required or undertaken to prepare this report. External agencies, organisations, and stakeholders have been invited to provide presentations to the Taskforce.

Community Consultations

No community consultations were required or undertaken to prepare this report. Community consultation was undertaken to inform Council’s Affordable Housing Strategy.

The Shoalhaven Affordable Housing Strategy was prepared with broader community input.

Policy and Statutory Implications

The Taskforce has been established to assist Council in achieving its long-standing commitment to providing adequate housing for Shoalhaven’s communities. Council’s Shoalhaven Affordable Housing Strategy 2024 aligns with Council’s vision and proposed work in its Community Strategic Plan and Local Strategic Planning Statement.

Financial Implications

There are no direct financial implications related to this report.

Risk Implications

There are no direct risks generated by this report.

Affordable Housing Action Taskforce – Monday 22 September 2025

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AH25.3 Consideration of Affordable Housing Action Taskforce Terms of Reference

HPERM Ref: D25/399423

Department: Strategic Planning

Approver: Gordon Clark, Acting Director - City Development

Attachments: 1. Affordable Housing Action Taskforce - Terms of Reference ⇩

Purpose:

This report enables the Taskforce to review and consider the Terms of Reference (ToR) set by the Council on 17 June 2025 (MIN25.319).

The ToR are necessary to provide an agreed governance framework for the purpose, membership, and meeting arrangements of the Taskforce.

Summary and Key Points for Consideration:

Under Section 355 of the Local Government Act 1993 (link), Councils may establish Committees to assist Council with its functions. The Taskforce is established under this legal framework, with the purpose of supporting Council’s implementation of the Shoalhaven Affordable Housing Strategy (the Strategy) 2024.

Under standard Governance procedures, and to ensure the effective operation and focus of the Taskforce, ToR are needed to provide an agreed governance framework on:

· The purpose and role of the Taskforce.

· The status and delegations of the Taskforce.

· Membership of the Taskforce.

· The Taskforce’s meeting schedule, structure and protocol.

At its Ordinary Meeting of 17 June 2025, Council endorsed the ToR, which are now provided to the Taskforce for their information. The Council-endorsed ToR are provided as Attachment 1.

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the Affordable Housing Action Taskforce receive for information the Council endorsed Terms of Reference provided as Attachment 1 to this report.

Options

1. As recommended

Implications: The ToR will provide a reference point for the governance of the Taskforce to ensure that meetings are effective and that the focus of the committee remains relevant to the implementation of the Strategy. If necessary, the ToR can be reviewed at a future time, and any amendments reported to Council.

2. Make amendments to the ToR as agreed to by the Taskforce.

Implications: Dependent on the nature of any amendments, changes to the ToR may then need to be reported back to Council for endorsement.

Background and Supplementary information

At its Ordinary Meeting on 28 October 2024, Council considered a Notice of Motion on the formation of an Affordable Housing Action Taskforce, where it was resolved (MIN24.518) that:

1. Shoalhaven City Council form a cross government ‘Affordable Housing Action Taskforce’ to collaborate and drive forward opportunities outlined in the Affordable Housing Strategy 2024.

2. The taskforce membership be comprised of the Mayor, Councillors, relevant staff, local State/Federal Members and external representatives.

3. External representatives will be invited through an Expression of Interest (EOI) process, to be completed by Easter 2025. This will include key stakeholders essential for advancing the strategy from various backgrounds, such as Federal, State and Local political representatives, relevant cross government departments, and key industry leaders for example, housing sector representatives.

To ensure the Taskforce maintains its focus and achieves the intended outcomes of the Council resolution, it was considered necessary for the Taskforce to operate as a formal Committee under Section 355 of the Local Government Act 1993. This involves the appointment of members following a formal Expression of Interest (EoI) process, and preparation of ToR to set the governance framework for the Taskforce.

A formal EoI process was undertaken throughout April-May 2025, supported by a draft ToR. Following the EoI period, applications were assessed by an independent panel, with recommended members reported to the elected Council for endorsement on 17 June 2025 (link to Council report).

At this meeting, Council resolved to endorse the draft ToR with minor amendments, and receive a further report back to determine the membership of the Taskforce following further review of the applications in accordance with the ToR (link to Meeting Minutes).

The Taskforce membership was settled by the elected Council on 29 July 2025 (link to Council report and Meeting Minutes). As a result of the Council resolution, a further adjustment was made to the ToR to include an additional community member to reflect the endorsed membership of the Taskforce. The amended ToR adopted by Council are provided as Attachment 1.

Under standard Governance procedures, and to ensure the effective operation and focus of the Taskforce, ToR are needed to provide an agreed governance framework on:

· The purpose and role of the Taskforce.

· The status and delegations of the Taskforce.

· Membership of the Taskforce.

· The Taskforce’s meeting schedule, structure and protocol.

Importantly, the ToR provide a reference point for the governance of the Taskforce to ensure that meetings are effective and that the focus of the committee remains relevant to the implementation of the Strategy. Without this, the Taskforce will have no guiding document to provide expectations for members or govern meeting procedures, which may compromise the relevance, integrity and purpose of the Taskforce.