Report Calls for Key Worker Housing Solutions
Housing affordability in New South Wales significantly threatens the state’s ability to attract and retain teachers. A new report by the Australian Public Policy Institute, released on 15th April, highlights these challenges.
Median house prices in Sydney exceed 13 times the average teacher’s salary, surpassing the affordability benchmark of three times income. This disparity creates substantial challenges for maintaining a sustainable teaching workforce.
Professor Scott Eacott from UNSW Sydney, who led the research with the University of Sydney and Deakin University, said, “There is little point attracting and training teachers if they can’t afford to live near where they’re needed.”
Statewide Impact on Teacher Retention
Housing challenges affect teachers across New South Wales, not just in rural areas. Longer commutes, increased stress, and higher transport costs particularly impact disadvantaged communities.
The report suggests establishing ‘key worker housing’ as a formal asset class, expanding the Teacher Housing Authority, and improving access to data for better workforce planning.
Professor Chris Pettit, co-author and Director of the City Futures Research Centre at UNSW Sydney, stressed integrating spatial and housing data to address these challenges effectively.
Without policy intervention, housing affordability pressures will continue to undermine the sustainability of the teaching workforce in high growth and metropolitan areas.
Housing costs in metropolitan areas have surged beyond income growth. Teachers are pushed farther from their workplaces, leading to longer commutes and increased stress levels, especially in disadvantaged communities where teaching continuity is critical.
The research reframes teacher housing as vital infrastructure supporting essential public services. The Teacher Housing Authority in NSW covers only 1.7% of teaching positions, mainly in rural and remote areas.
Income-based affordable housing programmes often exclude teachers, even as they face growing housing stress. The report calls for a durable policy framework for coordinated investment in key worker housing across sectors like education, health, and policing.
Professor Eacott stated, “Teachers are working longer hours, travelling further, and carrying the strain. When housing pressures go unaddressed, retention collapses, and replacing a single teacher can cost over $25,000.”
Last updated: 16 April 2026, 8:49 am
