Common sense is all too rare in politics. These days, every press conference, every Facebook post and every glossy newsletter is riddled with bureaucratic jargon. 

Most figure heads and decision makers cannot complete a sentence without breaking a promise, while mastering the art of question dodging.

Far too few of our leaders – at Local, State, and Federal levels – speak clearly and honestly about the issues that matter. 

That is why it was refreshing to read Mayor Neil Reilly’s latest column that made some no-nonsense observations about Kiama’s current housing crisis. 

Acknowledging that housing supply and affordability are an issue, the Mayor suggested we need to “think carefully and creatively” about fixing the problem. 

“It’s more than just building heights, considering how and where we live, what block sizes are ideal, whether we need more multiple dwellings or ways to promote intergenerational ones,” he wrote. 

“These are important discussions so that we can continue to provide homes for our key workers, such as education professionals, tradies, health workers and indeed the next generation of kids and grandkids in Kiama Municipality.”

It's good to see the Mayor understands the scope and scale of Kiama’s pressing housing crisis, and it’s good to hear he’s up for having a proper conversation about what to do about it. 

Ultimately this will mean building more homes and ensuring that a variety of housing types are provided for our growing community.

The Mayor’s acknowledgement of the issue of housing affordability for key workers is also timely. The redevelopment of the Shoalhaven Hospital, expected to be complete in 2026, will provide 800 medical jobs for the region and presumably some of them will need and want to live in Kiama.

Business Illawarra rightly states that this is an economic problem, as well as a social problem, identified in their Affordable Housing Crisis report, which The Bugle covered in depth. 

It is important to note that the housing crisis is not all about home ownership. A growing number of people are either forced, or choose to be renters. That report found 20,000 essential workers across the Illawarra Shoalhaven region are experiencing housing stress, and laid out this hypothetical case study of a childcare worker living and working in Kiama: 

“A childcare worker wanting to move out of Sydney to take up a job in Kiama, and earning $772 per week could pay $231 in rent, and could not afford to rent a one-bedroom unit in the cheapest part of the region. They would pay more than half their income to rent a one-bedroom unit in Kiama ($400), noting that these are in very short supply.” 

Worse still, last week The Bugle’s Donna Portland wrote about disturbing research from RMIT showing repayments on an average $500,000 mortgage have increased by more than $10,000 annually – just shy of the estimated yearly cost of raising a child in Australia, which is $12,823. 

So, while The Bugle applauds the Mayor on his common-sense commentary regarding this issue, we hope he “walks the walk” and does what he can to get shovels in the ground. 

Please let us know your thoughts on growth and the building of more houses, as we continue the conversation about the future of our great community.