Last Friday, Business Illawarra brought together government, industry and community leaders for its Future of Housing Summit — and the energy in the room was unmistakable.
With the Hon. Paul Scully MP and the Hon. Rose Jackson in attendance, the quality of discussion and the appetite for practical, region-led solutions made one thing clear: housing is no longer just a social issue. It’s core economic policy.
The summit marked a major milestone with the launch of the Home for Workers Policy Report 2026 — the centrepiece of Business Illawarra’s focused, outcome-driven advocacy agenda. Grounded in region-specific research across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven, the report echoes a consensus forming right across NSW and the country: we need more homes, in more places, delivered faster.
Housing shortages are already undermining workforce attraction, business expansion and essential services. Business Illawarra is calling for urgent, place-based action so workers can live locally — and so businesses across the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands can grow.
The report identifies 11 game-changers: practical, common-sense solutions that could apply well beyond our region.
But as we push for action, one important question lingers: how do we move from building homes to building communities?
That’s the conversation worth having next.
