27°C | Thursday November 13, 2025 
1 December 2023
By Grahame Lynch
North Sydney Council has endorsed a mayoral motion that seeks to place the onus on solving the housing crisis back on state government and away from local government. Interestingly, both Labor councillors on council joined with the mayor and criticised the state government’s recent actions in seeking to impose planning solutions on local communities.
Mayor Zoe Baker used Monday night’s council meeting to advocate a detailed motion that, in part, called for the state government to explore a range of options to promote housing via the creation of a new state bank, encouragement of rent to own models, use it or lose it clauses for development approvals and tax exemptions for employer-provided housing.
The overall tenor of Baker’s motion was for the state government to tone down its rhetoric on housing, which she sees as imposing outcomes on local communities. She wants a meeting to discuss her ideas with the planning minister, Paul Scully.
Baker said: “It is vital that the State Government stop the “blame game” combative rhetoric and work with councils, including ours, on these issues. There is enormous experience, expertise, and creativity in local government that the Minister should draw on, if only the Government would commit to meeting with LGNSW and councils such as ours.”
Interestingly, the two Labor councillors – Godfrey Santer and Shannon Welch – also criticised the Labor state government’s approach to the issue.
Santer said: “I think one of the problems that we face is, at the moment, that the state government has tended to see local government as being part of the problem in this housing crisis. Your proposal shows, with its constructive set of proposals for helping to solve the crisis, that we are not part of the problem. That we can be and should be part of the solution.”
He continued: “I think the use it or lose it provision particularly, is relevant. I think I applaud it. I think we need to get it all addressed to the state and federal governments to show that we are not part of the problem. We are part of the solution. We have constructive proposals to overcome this housing crisis. I applaud what you have proposed and I will be supporting the motion.”
Welch earlier said: “I too have been very frustrated by the numerous announcements made in the media by Planning Minister (Paul) Scully, basically blaming councils for our housing crisis. I feel more communication is imperative and all 3 tiers of government need to work together to resolve this housing crisis. We are in desperate need of more social and affordable housing, not just expensive new developments that only the wealthy can afford.”
“I would also like to quote Premier Chris Minns from the 24th of February, 2019. We have an unprecedented increase in development in St. George. There is no appreciation for what has already been built within our community and very little infrastructure to cope with the major increase in development throughout St. George. I echo Premier Minns sentiment because the same thing is happening here in North Sydney. Like Premier Minns, I am advocating for my community,” Welch added.
The motion was passed 7-2.
One note of dissent came from councillor Jilly Gibson who characterised the motion as naive. “I think, if we keep it simple, if we keep the language friendly and we ask for sensible adjustments, we’re much more likely to achieve something. I think this will achieve nothing at all. The idea that we’re gonna start advocating for changes to commonwealth taxation policy, I mean, councillors, really? It’s just not well thought out. Develop our own bank?”
She added: “We’re talking about stopping the blame games and competitive combative rhetoric, and we are talking about that we don’t have any trust in the procedures and perhaps in the government. And the direction here, I don’t think that’s conducive to being granted a meeting.”
Other councillors supported the mayor.
Councillor William Bourke of the Sustainable Australia Party said: “When you have much more density and much more population, your rates go up more. That’s not good for our community. We should be pushing back against this rapid growth, particularly when it doesn’t come with infrastructure.”
Another councillor, Ian Mutton, concurred, stating: “I don’t support everything in the mayor’s letter. I sure, as hell, support that all of this should be put to the government, and the government should be called upon to justify its initiatives. It should be called upon to explain how we are going to deal with the problems that its initiatives are creating. How we’re going to deal with the problems of increased schools needed? How we’re going to deal with the problems of increased medical assistance in the areas? There’s a total problem that’s facing our community that needs to be resolved. It will not be resolved by this government putting out press releases at the drop of a hat without any explanations, whatsoever.”
Cr MaryAnn Beregi said: “What’s this government done? They’ve made us do our bit. Now, they’re not doing their bit. Where’s the trust? Absolutely gone. Abandoning the Great Cities Commission is actually admitting that the government’s run out of ideas. They want to abandon anything that involves community engagement. If you take away the Greater Sydney Commission who is just about to go out on consultation, who makes the decisions? Macquarie Street. So much for worrying about your communities. They’ve cut out a community consultation. They cut out councils – the closest level of government to the people. Now they’re not even going to listen to the community.”
Subsequent to the council meeting, the state government announced a plan to impose higher densities on zones within 800m of train stations. This would affect some areas of Waverton, Wollstonecraft, North Sydney and Crows Nest which are currently zoned for low-rise and single building dwellings.