9th May, 2024.
Mrs JUDY HANNAN: My question is directed to the Minister for Health representing the Minister for Water—and I wish him a happy birthday. In this day and age, is the Minister content with homes being approved with no sewer connection in the expectation that it will be trucked out? The Appin Memorandum of Understanding announcement for sewer does not cover the 30,000 approved homes that are being built right now in Wilton. When will the Government deliver sewer to those homes so we can solve the housing crisis and ensure that my community is not left with a long-drop?
Mr RYAN PARK (Keira—Minister for Health, Minister for Regional Health, and Minister for the Illawarra and the South Coast): That is a term I have not heard for a while. My mum and dad, who make up 50 per cent of the viewing audience, will also find that funny
Mr Paul Scully: My parents are the other 50 per cent.
Mr RYAN PARK: It is a ratings bonanza. I thank the member for Wollondilly for her question. From the outset, I emphasise that those issues come from planning approvals made many years ago—and I think the Opposition would take some responsibility in relation to that challenge. The Minister for Water in the other place, the planning Minister and others are working through what is a challenging issue. We know the legacy of south‑west Sydney, which is often considered the dumping ground for new housing with no infrastructure support. We know that is not okay, and we are doing our best right now to fix it by taking pressure off that region. The proposal to fast-track the rezoning of that land was made against agency advice in the dying days of the last Government. Despite being advised that the area lacked infrastructure and had inadequate water and wastewater supply—as the member indicated in her question—the Opposition, then in government, did it anyway. We cannot fix that overnight; nor will we pretend to fix it overnight. We are deeply engaged with Sydney Water to accelerate capital works to prioritise the growth of housing in this area. Under the National Housing Accord, New South Wales has committed to deliver 377,000 new well‑located homes between now and 2029.
As the New South Wales Government explores options to speed up the delivery of more homes, as the member for Wollondilly rightly said, it is essential we have vital infrastructure in place. It is important to note that any early infrastructure will be delivered at no additional cost to Sydney Water customers, or to the New South Wales Government. We are only in this situation after 12 years of wasted time and inaction on housing approvals and the building of key infrastructure to support housing growth. The infrastructure is part of the servicing arrangement for Walker Corporation's Appin development, which involves a partnership with coNEXA and Sydney Water to provide water services. Previously released growth servicing plans indicate the Appin area would not be serviced before 2032. We know that infrastructure plans must incorporate sufficient analysis on community infrastructure upgrades. [Extension of time]
Let's be honest, as the Premier, the Treasurer, the Minister for Housing, and the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces have informed this House many times over the past 12 months, we are in a housing crisis. We need to build homes to acknowledge this crisis and do something about it. I reiterate that these are legacy issues from previous planning decisions made by the former Government that will not be fixed overnight. It is clear that the former Government put the cart before the horse and did not properly plan for the growth in housing, especially in the south‑west, which is the region represented by the member for Wollondilly. The former Government rezoned housing without initiating the appropriate infrastructure. Clearly we need more homes to tackle the crisis that we know exists in our community, but poor planning and preparation have left us in our present position. The Government is doing what it can to fix this mess and it is starting from scratch.
Appin has now been identified by the New South Wales Government as a priority area for planning approvals for housing. The Appin precinct, North Appin and Gilead were State‑assessed planning proposals led by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure [DPHI] under the Rezoning Pathways Program. The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure has consulted Sydney Water on its servicing capacity for proposed rezonings in this area. However, the long planning lead times involved and differences in Sydney Water and DPHI growth forecasts have contributed to the former Government's rezoning having occurred without supporting infrastructure being available within suitable timeframes. To service the Greater Macarthur region, Sydney Water is progressing plans for a new Upper Nepean wastewater treatment facility, which should be operational by 2032. The NSW Water Strategy recognises the need to better integrate land use planning and water management, which the Government is focused on improving.