A government report on Australian capital cities has singled out Sydney for housing undersupply.
The Federal Government's State of Australian Cities report has found housing undersupply in Sydney is "particularly severe", with only 6,700 new homes started in the last quarter compared to 14,700 in Melbourne. Urban Taskforce CEO designate Chris Johnson claimed a lack of housing was driving people away from Sydney.
"The report found that Melbourne is growing faster than Sydney, having increased its population by more than 600,000 between 2001 and 2010 while Sydney's grew by less than 450,000 over the same period," Johnson said.
While the report identified Sydney, Melbourne and Perth as areas of rapid population growth, Johnson said it neglected the fact that average population growth in Sydney for the last four years was only half that of the preceding five years.
"The City of Sydney is not fulfilling its potential as a hub for compact, pedestrian-friendly living," he claimed.
Johnson criticised the government for a failure to commit funds to new road projects for the city in light of the report.