Urban Taskforce submission on Basix Target Review

14 February 2014- While supporting the general direction of the changes to BASIX we are concerned about timing relative to the current concerns with housing affordability.  We are aware that the NSW Government is looking at a number of regulatory changes to prescribed payments, bonds for defects and even levies to subsidise lower cost housing and that all of these could lift NSW housing costs by around 10%.  The Urban Taskforce argues that more stringent BASIX requirements which will increase the cost of new housing should not be introduced at this point in time.