Housing Affordability Crisis

Housing

ACTION TO ADDRESS THE  HOUSING CRISIS IN THE NORTHERN RIVERS

There is hardly any affordable or secure housing available for people in our area to rent or buy. Many people have had to move out of the area, away from their friends, support networks, jobs, schools and community. Uprooting people is a symptom of a crisis not a cure for one.

We have seen unprecedented housing stress in the Northern rivers, brought about by: the rapid growth of an unregulated short-term holiday letting industry, increases of up to 30% in property values, almost no supply of rental properties for residents and urban buyers flocking to the area during Covid-19.

At any one time there are 2000-3000 houses in the Ballina electorate that have been booked through short-term holiday letting agencies. That’s an average of 6000 adults and 6000-10,000 children who reside in our community who could live in those homes if those properties were available as permanent rentals.

We must support people’s right to access secure, safe and affordable housing. Housing insecurity affects everybody in our community; the homeless, people in public and community housing, private renters, first home buyers, single parents, women, children and everyday working people.

To the NSW Premier and the State Government,

The housing crisis in the Northern Rivers is in desperate need of targeted solutions. To ensure people in our community have access to safe and secure housing options. We are asking you to:

  • Support Byron Shire Council to Regulate short-term holiday letting in Byron 
  • End no-grounds evictions in NSW, and
  • Amend the affordable housing SEPP to provide 30 year leases

Please sign the petition calling on the NSW State Government to take meaningful action to end the housing crisis in our region.

Who's signing

Esther Zellweger
Deb Lowe
Lucy Bransom
Triona Shannon
Peter Brennan
Susan Marie Effenberger
Louise Southerden
Catherine Jones
Carole Stanford
Anne Reilly
Therese Moran
Wendy Bacon
Kitty Crain
Margaret Cox
Elizabeth Gray
Mariette Maclurcan
Vinesh Prasad
Sian Mansell
Lynda Tune
Sandy Thompson
Christopher Campbell
Andrea Steinbrener
Petra Jones
Karen Wagner
Sharon Boyd
Gareth Vanderhope
Emily Najdovski
Gavin Imhof
Ivanna Calero
Isaac King
1,136
10,000 signatures

Will you sign?


Showing 845 reactions

  • Esther Zellweger
    signed 2023-06-07 14:25:18 +1000
  • Deb Lowe
    signed 2023-06-06 14:00:39 +1000
    Humans need to live their planet more
  • Lucy Bransom
    signed 2023-06-06 09:04:29 +1000
  • Triona Shannon
    signed 2023-06-05 14:35:02 +1000
  • Peter Brennan
    signed 2023-06-05 11:14:40 +1000
  • Susan Marie Effenberger
    signed via 2023-06-05 10:57:19 +1000
  • Louise Southerden
    signed 2023-06-05 09:58:47 +1000
    Governments at all levels also need to make alternative affordable housing solutions like tiny houses part of the housing solution.
  • Catherine Jones
    signed 2023-06-04 15:57:51 +1000
  • Carole Stanford
    signed 2023-06-04 11:10:23 +1000
  • Anne Reilly
    signed 2023-06-04 10:52:20 +1000
  • Therese Moran
    signed 2023-06-04 10:05:11 +1000
  • Wendy Bacon
    signed 2023-06-04 07:42:37 +1000
  • Kitty Crain
    signed 2023-06-04 06:48:18 +1000
  • Margaret Cox
    signed 2023-06-04 06:23:03 +1000
  • Elizabeth Gray
    signed 2023-06-03 18:39:02 +1000
    too many airbnbs

    no bed tax

    homes vacant

    there needs to be a shift in real estate attitudes
  • Mariette Maclurcan
    signed 2023-06-03 18:19:45 +1000
  • Vinesh Prasad
    signed 2023-06-03 18:18:11 +1000
    There is an urgent need for shires to open up land for residential development. There is so much land available but poor policies and foresight is escalating the housing problem. It is simple and can easily be resolved.
  • Sian Mansell
    signed 2023-06-03 15:47:11 +1000
  • Lynda Tune
    signed 2023-06-03 13:43:54 +1000
  • Sandy Thompson
    signed 2023-06-03 09:43:23 +1000
  • Christopher Campbell
    signed 2023-06-03 08:51:24 +1000
  • Andrea Steinbrener
    signed 2023-06-03 08:26:10 +1000
  • Petra Jones
    signed 2023-06-03 07:52:05 +1000
  • Karen Wagner
    signed 2023-06-03 06:48:42 +1000
    I have spent 2 years and many thousands of dollars trying to get approval to rent a beautiful building. People keep begging me to let them live in the building but the Council says I will get big fines if I rent it and keeps demanding additional reports and signing off from expensive engineers and other private experts. No wonder there is no where for anyone to live.
  • Sharon Boyd
    signed 2023-06-03 05:15:38 +1000
  • Gareth Vanderhope
    signed 2023-06-03 00:43:41 +1000
    Wealthy investors are converting long-term rentals into airBnB, decreasing housing supply for locals and increasing rental prices. Interest rate rises are being passed on to renters by investors. Why should we shoulder the risk of their investments? They get tax breaks and can sell their property or re-finance. Excessive rent hikes are akin to white-colar extortion, with individuals and families literally skipping meals and going cold to keep a roof over their heads. That is not a fair transation. That is not ‘the market price’, that is greed. Rent incresaes must be capped, as they are in countries like France and Germany. AirBnB needs to be dramatically reduced. Population growth needs to be reduced until housing supply is adequate.
  • Emily Najdovski
    signed 2023-06-02 22:59:52 +1000
  • Gavin Imhof
    signed 2023-06-02 22:13:13 +1000
  • Ivanna Calero
    signed 2023-06-02 22:02:59 +1000
  • Isaac King
    signed 2023-06-02 21:54:37 +1000