The NSW Government is committed to working with the Commonwealth, local government, industry stakeholders and the construction sector to address the housing shortage.
Housing targets are already in place for Greater Sydney, set by the former Greater Sydney Commission under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. Targets provide clear direction for all levels of government, industry and the construction sector, ensuring new homes are built in the right locations and contribute to a more affordable and sustainable housing market.
New 5-year housing targets have been set for 43 Local Government Areas in the Greater Sydney, Central Coast, Lower Hunter and Greater Newcastle and Illawarra-Shoalhaven regions and one target for regional NSW.
These replace outdated targets in Greater Sydney previously set by the Greater Sydney Commission for 2021-22 to 2025-26.
The new 5-year housing targets set the minimum expected growth for each of the 43 LGAs and set the trajectory for NSW to meet its commitment of delivering 377,000 new homes, aligning the targets to the commitment of local, state and federal governments to the National Housing Accord.
Ten and 20-year targets will be developed in the near future.
The Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 provides for housing targets to be issued within the areas formerly known as the Six Cities region.
Housing targets have been set for the following local government areas:
| Bayside | Hunters Hill | Randwick |
| Blacktown | Inner West | Ryde |
| Blue Mountains | Kiama | Shellharbour |
| Burwood | Ku-ring-gai | Shoalhaven |
| Camden | Lake Macquarie | Strathfield |
| Campbelltown | Lane Cove | Sutherland |
| Canada Bay | Liverpool | Sydney |
| Canterbury-Bankstown | Maitland | The Hills |
| Central Coast | Mosman | Waverley |
| Cessnock | Newcastle | Willoughby |
| Cumberland | North Sydney | Wollondilly |
| Fairfield | Northern Beaches | Wollongong |
| Georges River | Parramatta | Woollahra |
| Hawkesbury | Penrith | |
| Hornsby | Port Stephens |
A target has also been allocated for regional NSW outside of these local government areas.
The National Housing Accords set an ambitious target for 1.2 million new well-located homes across Australia in the five years between June 2024 to June 2029. The NSW share of these targets is to deliver 377,000 new well-located homes.
Local housing targets across the 43 councils in Greater Sydney, Illawarra-Shoalhaven, Central Coast, lower Hunter and greater Newcastle, and regional NSW, will help us to achieve our shared ambition across all levels of government to meet the National Housing Accord target.
The NSW share of the Commonwealth’s 1.2 million target is based on the population of our state.
A robust evidence-base was used to inform the targets, including the latest data on housing activity, forecast supply, expected dwelling demand, existing and planned infrastructure, construction timeframes, planning reforms, industry and market conditions.
The final assumptions and methodology were independently peer-reviewed.
NSW is committed to delivering 377,000 new homes by 2029.
Regional NSW has been allocated 55,000 new homes, which aligns with expected demand and growth for new homes.
Regional NSW is considered areas outside of Greater Sydney, Illawarra-Shoalhaven, Central Coast, Lower Hunter and Greater Newcastle.
We expect the majority of new homes to be built in high-growth regional areas with existing amenities, infrastructure and services.
We will work with the Department of Regional NSW to strategically plan for new homes. Together we have a common goal to make regional NSW an even better place to live, work, play and invest in.
Find out more about what we're building in the regions.
The department will publicly monitor progress towards and delivery against housing targets on its website.
Targets are for new homes completed. Monitoring will align with the Commonwealth approach to tracking completions by state using Australian Bureau of Statistics data.
Affordable housing
The National Accord includes a target for 10,000 affordable homes across Australia by June 2029, and the NSW target of 377,000 includes a target of at least 3,100 new affordable homes.
The target for each local government area is for a total number of new homes, there isn’t an affordable housing target within each local government area. Councils are encouraged to have a local affordable housing scheme in place to increase the delivery of affordable homes within their local communities.
Planning reforms
The additional new homes expected from the introduction of the Transport Oriented Development and low- and mid-rise housing reforms have been factored into the targets.
We will work with councils to deliver a diverse range of well-located homes near existing infrastructure. This includes a diverse range of housing types to support the changing needs of the people of NSW.