By Lisa Visentin
Planning Minister Anthony Roberts gave the negative gearing issue a wide berth in a major speech to the property industry on Friday and reasserted supply-side measures as his government's priority in tackling the state's housing affordability crisis.
Outlining the government's plan in a lunchtime address to the Property Council, Mr Roberts said boosting supply, cutting red tape and encouraging innovation were at the core of the government's "whole of system approach" to the issue.
"It is no exaggeration to say that we are at a crisis point in addressing housing affordability, so we need to be bold in our approaches."
But Mr Roberts avoided making the same intervention into federal taxation arrangements that was made by his predecessor Rob Stokes – now Education Minister – who used an industry speech in November to accuse the Turnbull government of falling victim to a "Canberra culture" of opposition to negative gearing.
More dwellings: Anthony Roberts.Credit: Janie Barrett
Mr Roberts used the address to call on the property industry, which he labelled the "experts in getting roofs over people's heads", to deliver "more innovation and ideas" to increase supply.
"Some new thinking, some different approaches, that don't require subsidies or other financial assistance, but target key sectors or components of the affordability discussion, is what we are looking for."
His speech comes amid a growing debate around taxation less than a month before the federal budget, which Treasurer Scott Morrison has said will feature a package of housing affordability measures as its centrepiece.
On the question of state taxation, in comments following his speech Mr Roberts indicated that the Berejiklian government had no appetite for touching stamp duty.
Anthony Roberts with federal MP John Alexander (right) and former NSW MP David Campbell at the Westin Hotel function.Credit: Janie Barrett
"I don't think stamp duty is going anywhere," he said.
Mr Roberts, who was appointed to the planning portfolio in January after a cabinet reshuffle, reiterated the government's credo that housing supply remained the state's key lever as it faced the pressure of accommodating an extra 2.1 million people over the next 20 years.
The Berejiklian government, he said, was committed to ensuring home ownership did not become a pipedream.
"However, many people, including our younger residents and families, are having home ownership dreams slip further and further away. We need to deliver more housing quicker, easier and with greater choice."
More than 300,000 new homes had been approved since 2011, and a "historic record" of 184,000 new homes would be completed across Sydney in the next five years, he said.
"Approvals and construction are flying along, but there is still much more to be done on the supply side."
He said the government was releasing and rezoning more land "than ever before" to create new communities, and was finalising nine regional plans to guide strategic planning across the whole of NSW.
He said the Planning Department remained committed to encouraging the spread of low-rise, medium-density homes such as terraces and manor homes in the suburbs, which were "generally more affordable, require less land area and are more sustainable".
Planning instruments, such as a medium-density design code, which was spearheaded by Mr Stokes, would fast-track approvals for terrace-style homes, potentially reducing average waiting times on development applications from 71 days to 22 days, he said.