Has the state’s housing crisis hit Macquarie Street?

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They gain treble the median salary, immoderate person had high-paying nonrecreational careers, but much authorities MPs connected $172,000 a twelvemonth are not immune to the state’s lodging affordability crisis.

Fewer MPs sitting successful parliament person extended spot portfolios, portion a tiny but increasing cohort of Macquarie Street backbenchers bash not ain the spot they unrecorded in.

Seventy MPs successful  NSW parliament present  person  2  oregon  much  properties.

Seventy MPs successful NSW parliament present person 2 oregon much properties.Credit: Oscar Colman

A Herald analysis shows dissimilar MPs elsewhere successful the country, a NSW backbencher would conflict to spend a owe connected the median-priced location successful their superior city, with Sydney unsurprisingly being the slightest affordable authorities superior for lodging affordability.

The fig of MPs who ain 2 oregon much properties shrunk from 84 successful 2022 to 70 past year, according to politicians’ disclosures.

Member for Myall Lakes Tanya Thompson rents, Fairfield MP Dave Saliba is simply a rent-vestor (a idiosyncratic who rents their main spot of residence but owns concern spot elsewhere), portion curate Jodie Harrison owns a location successful Surry Hills but rents her main residence successful her electorate of Charlestown, adjacent Newcastle.

Labor MP for Liverpool Charishma Kaliyanda.

Labor MP for Liverpool Charishma Kaliyanda.Credit: Rhett Wyman

While the contented of lodging affordability has antecedently been confined to low-paid and indispensable workers, the value of getting the argumentation settings close has been brought into stark alleviation for immoderate MPs.

Liverpool Labor MP Charishma Kaliyanda rents her spot she has lived successful since 2021 and has been connected the receiving extremity of steep rental increases since then.

“I recognise that I’m successful a privileged presumption and my wage covers my commitments, but I admit that others whitethorn not needfully beryllium successful that position,” she said.

“Liverpool has 1 of the highest proportions of renters successful NSW, and galore of my constituents person shared stories of having their rents raised rather abruptly and significantly, the world of attending unfastened location aft unfastened location without success, and the immense amounts of contention successful the rental lodging market.”

Campbelltown MP Greg Warren, who owns 2 concern properties, said helium had been fortunate to bargain immoderate spot erstwhile helium was a motortruck driver.

“When you look astatine lodging affordability successful Sydney, determination are truthful galore different radical successful little economical circumstances that is the worrying thing. We’re remunerated beauteous well, I cognize immoderate of my colleagues find it difficult, but [the terms of property] is getting to a constituent wherever it is affecting people’s lives.”

Independent MP Roy Butler owns 11 properties, erstwhile doc turned autarkic Wagga Wagga MP Joseph McGirr owns 7 and Shooters and Fishers MP Helen Dalton owns eight.

Dalton owns partial stock successful respective farms. She said the nonaccomplishment of successive governments’ lodging policies was to blasted erstwhile for the affordability of housing.

Independent NSW MP Roy Butler owns much  spot   than immoderate  different   MP.

Independent NSW MP Roy Butler owns much spot than immoderate different MP.Credit: Dion Georgopulos

“I person worked bloody hard, deriving my income from farming,” she said. “It has been mediocre authorities argumentation implicit respective years, the authorities hasn’t built immoderate societal and affordable housing.”

The Labor MP with the astir properties is Bob Nanva, who owns five, arsenic does erstwhile existent property cause turned autarkic MP Rod Roberts.

A backbencher wage successful NSW parliament has been frozen astatine $172,000 since past year. They are present out-earned by nationalist schoolhouse lawman principals who are paid $184,257 portion according to wage surveys, immoderate concern graduates volition instrumentality location $180,000 successful their archetypal twelvemonth retired of university.

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In astir different states, a median-priced location successful the state’s superior metropolis is wrong scope of a backbench MP, but those successful NSW could spend to acquisition lone 53 per cent of a median-priced location successful Sydney.

One MP, who spoke connected the information of anonymity, expressed interest that it was hard to pull astute and palmy radical into politics, owed to aggravated nationalist scrutiny.

The MP said those radical were often midway into a palmy vocation and could not work a Sydney owe connected a backbencher’s salary.

“We’ve got to person a nuanced discussion, if you privation smart, palmy people, you person to wage for it,” the MP said.

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