Not enough homes are being built in Kiama to keep up with projected population growth, according to new data from the New South Wales Government. 

The Illawarra-Shoalhaven Urban Development Program Dashboard – launched by Planning Minister Paul Scully earlier this month – shows just fifty-four homes were built in the Kiama LGA in 2021-22. 

Over the same period, 350 homes were built in the Shoalhaven LGA, 571 homes were built in the Wollongong LGA, and 606 homes were built in the Shellharbour LGA. 

The Dashboard shows that housebuilding in Kiama nosedived in 2021-22, with 56.9 per cent fewer completions than the average of the previous five years. 

Separately, the Dashboard confirms data released by Domain earlier this month showing the median price for a home in the local area has reached $1.36 million, thirteen times the average household income of $95,368. 

Now, the median price for a unit in Kiama is $690,000, and the median asking rent is $650 per week. 

These prices are significantly higher than average for the Illawarra-Shoalhaven, where the median house price is $904,000, the median unit price is $688,000, and the median asking rent is $560. 

Minister Scully says the Dashboard would be an “effective tool” to help monitor housing supply and guide better outcomes. 

“It helps inform planning decisions to support our region’s growth, bringing us into line with other parts of the State where these insights are already available”, he said. 

The launch of the Dashboard comes as New South Wales Labor’s new duty MLC for Kiama, Dr Sarah Kaine, told The Bugle’s Brendon Foye the two biggest issues facing local residents were affordable housing and the cost of living crisis. 

“With a bit of an ageing population across Kiama, we need a lot of workers to look after them…it’s incredibly difficult for care workers in particular to be able to find affordable housing, it plays out differently in different parts of Kiama, but it’s hard getting people living near where they can work”, she said. 

Dr Kaine’s focus on housing mirrors that of her Labor colleague, Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, who used his Budget speech in September to warn New South Wales was “in the midst of a fierce housing crisis”. 

“Rents are rising. Interest rates are climbing. Homeownership rates are falling…the next generation fears permanent eviction from safe and secure housing”, he said.