Wherever you look in my community of Bradfield across Kuring-gai and Willoughby local government areas, there are new apartment blocks and enormous homes going up. 

And at the same time, when I speak to people they raise the same concern – they’re struggling to afford to live in Bradfield. Or if they can afford it, it’s their children or grandchildren who can’t. 

How can this be true when so many new housing developments claim to be offering ‘affordable housing’? 

Part of the problem is there’s no consistent definition of the ‘affordable’ part of affordable housing. It’s defined differently by almost everyone, even in ways that undermine the ordinary meaning of affordable. 

Some have ‘affordability’ as 30% of a household’s gross income. Anything higher is considered housing stress.  The truth is, for a majority of young people starting their careers in nursing, teaching and retail on Sydney’s North Shore, there isn’t anything to rent for that amount.  I’ve recently spoken with a registered nurse level 3 who managed to find a share house in Artarmon for just on 50% of her income. 

That’s not sustainable for anyone. 

Others have 'affordability’ as a 20% discount on market rent. 

 But if market rent is exceptionally high, as it is across Bradfield, that 20% reduction isn’t going to be much help.  

The result is that most of the time, ‘affordable’ doesn’t mean ‘affordable’ at all. 

 and it inevitably forces people to move away - further from their families, workplaces and support networks.  

Bradfield has a huge unmet need for genuinely affordable housing. Data is patchy, but recent estimates put it at around 3,500 dwellings. That’s five times more than the current social and affordable housing stock.  

To get there, we need to build more homes – and Bradfield is making some progress in increasing supply. 

But new supply isn’t enough on its own – governments must ensure that it’s accessible for the people who need it most.  

Without clear and meaningful standards around affordability, we won’t have homes built that are genuinely affordable.  We’ll just continue seeing more and more young families priced out of the places they grew up in. And we’ll see more essential workers forced to move away – commuting longer distances to the schools, hospitals and aged care facilities they keep operational.  

Earlier this month, I launched a campaign calling for a clear, national definition of affordable housing - so funding, planning and construction are all working towards the same goal. 

With your support, we can push the government to set a consistent definition so we can hold them accountable for the funds they commit to delivering homes that people can actually afford.