There are three basic essentials ever person needs. These are a roof over their head - food on the table - and a job !
Affording a home is quickly slipping away from those on low salaries and the release of vast tracts of building land at West Dapto was supposed to bring some relief.
Unfortunately, the imposition of developer contribution levies of $ 622,000 per hectare - which translates to about $ 41,000 to each house built - pushes this land out of reach of the lowly paid.
As a consequence, those at the bottom end of the pay scale not only find renting private property beyond their means, but any form of shelter can only come via the long waiting line for public housing.
These " developer contributions " are designed to provide all the amenities needed for a new housing estate, but there is no guarantee that the money will be spent where it is needed. In many cases, this money is siphoned off and spent on previously developed areas - or remains banked and earning interest for the council.
Time perhaps to have a long, hard look at the cost of developing land and get our priorities in line.
Not much value in creating home sites that remain vacant because they are out of reach of many people.
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