Could homes like this solve the Illawarra’s housing supply woes? Photo: NSW Government.
One of the biggest challenges facing local businesses? Inadequate housing supply.
Not just a problem for people who need a roof over their heads when housing is hard to come by or too expensive, this situation also results in the loss of essential members of the workforce.
That might mean businesses are unable to attract the skills they need because out-of-area employees can’t find housing, or current residents and workers are moving away because they can’t secure an affordable home.
Business Illawarra wants to get the best minds onto the problem – and one of them is TV host, horticulturalist and landscape designer Jamie Durie.
Jamie will be the keynote speaker at Business Illawarra’s upcoming Future of Housing event, and it’s not just because he’s good in front of a crowd.
His recent TV series, Jamie Durie’s Future House, showcases how advanced manufacturing and new technologies can help us build new homes faster, more cost-effectively, and more sustainably.
Business Illawarra Director Coralie McCarthy said it’s the kind of innovation that could boost housing supply in the Illawarra, Southern Highlands and South Coast.
“It’s one of the biggest issues brought up with us by members,” she said.
“Employers trying to attract skilled workers who can’t find somewhere to live, or businesses losing workers because their rent changes and they can’t find something else, so they have to move out of the area.
“Businesses can’t grow without people, and people can’t be here without houses.
“Advanced manufacturing and modular homes hold huge opportunities for building at scale and building fast, but there are some challenges in the planning system.
“We want to talk about what the future could look like, what needs to change to deliver on the scale we need and what it looks like for our workforce as skills change.”
Coralie said the Future of Housing is Business Illawarra’s next phase of regional housing leadership, and will shift the conversation from advocacy to action.
In 2023, Business Illawarra delivered the Illawarra First Housing Report in 2023 in partnership with Dr Judith Stubbs and Associates to set a clear regional agenda.
Since its launch, there have been significant changes to the planning system and increased investment in affordable and key-worker housing.
The market is still tight, however, and Coralie said change needs to happen quickly.
“It is a really tight market at the moment with a reduction in the permanent supply of rentals,” she said.
“It’s not just low-income people finding housing unaffordable anymore; it’s medium-income families and essential workers in rental stress.
“There are some amazing social and affordable housing projects in the region that need to be delivered as quickly as possible, and some amazing big projects that could be delivered if we had the infrastructure like roads, water and electricity to support the housing.
“There are also different ways we could finance housing, so it’s not just an either rent or buy situation.
“There is a range of things we can do; it’s just a matter of getting the right minds in the same room.”
The event will also feature a panel discussion with Austruss founder and financial controller, Lisa Fowler; business director at Modscape and Modbotics, Josh Chaplin; and UOW senior research fellow in sustainable buildings, Dr Alan Green.
Business Illawarra’s Future of Housing event will be held at the City Beach Function Centre in Wollongong on Friday, 20 February, from 8 am until 12:20 pm.
Visit 123 Tix to secure your spot.
