Newly appointed New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian has recruited former Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) governor Glenn Stevens to provide input on how to making housing in the state more affordable.
Berejiklian told NSW Parliament on Wednesday that Stevens had accepted a personal invitation to provide input into the strategy.
“The NSW government understands that housing affordability is top of mind for many people across the state, that is why we have made it a key priority and why we have asked Glenn Stevens to lend his expertise to tackling this issue,” Berejiklian said in a media release.
“I am delighted that Mr Stevens, as an economist and long-serving leader of the Reserve Bank, will help us address this important issue,” she said.
“His advice will be invaluable in assessing measures that can have a real impact while avoiding any unforeseen consequences.”
Stevens, who last year retired after 10 years as RBA governor, will review and provide advice on the options being considered by the government to tackle housing affordability issues in the state, and in Sydney in particular.
“Housing affordability is a growing challenge for many residents of NSW and I look forward to working with the government on measures that might help address it,” Stevens said.
“I am pleased that the government has indicated it has an open mind when it comes to reviewing existing and new avenues of dealing with the issue.”
Berejiklian was appointed as NSW premier on Jan 24 in which she promised to look at making housing more affordable and has turned it as one of her top three priorities while in government.
