Council spent 'reasonable amount' on housing attack ads

A battle continues over NSW government plans for higher-density development in some council areas. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)

The mayor of Sydney’s most well-off council targeted for increased development under a state government plan it is fighting in court has declined to reveal how much ratepayers are spending attacking it.

Ku-ring-gai Council earlier in May voted to go to court over the government's signature plan to deliver more housing through higher-density development within 400 metres of train stations.

Before that it had resolved to place full-page newspaper ads attacking the policy.

The ads urged residents to "wake up" to the implications of the housing plans, which cover parts of Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and the Central Coast.

Mayor Sam Ngai declined to tell an inquiry into the development program how much ratepayer money was being spent on the ads attacking it, saying it was commercial-in-confidence.

"It's within reason ... we would obviously not do this unless it was a reasonable amount," he said on Monday.

Labor MP and committee member Anthony D'Adam said the inquiry had the power to compel evidence, while chair Sue Higginson told the mayor he could take the question on notice to provide answers at a later date.

Ratepayers are also funding the legal action.

"That might not have been necessary had we been given 12 months of deferred commencement like other councils," Mr Ngai said.

Inner West Council has been given a deferred commencement to the policy, which began in some other areas in April.

Mayor Darcy Byrne earlier on Monday told the inquiry the council was committed to working with the government.

“But we believe that we can deliver new homes through local planning controls rather than imposition from above,” Mr Byrne said.

The council would vote on completing its local environment plan and submitting it to the government by the end of 2024 at a meeting on Tuesday.

Councils willing to take responsibility for addressing the housing supply crisis and delivering more homes should have the chance to collaborate with the state government rather than having plans imposed upon them, he said.

Opposition housing spokesman Scott Farlow said the Inner West was not alone.

“I think every council has said that,” he said.

Mr Ngai said he wants his council to play its part in delivering new homes, but has not seen genuine collaboration from the state government, telling the inquiry it was not true Ku-ring-gai had refused to play ball.

Following the news that Ku-ring-gai would challenge the planning policy in court, Premier Chris Minns said other councils had already achieved good outcomes by negotiating with the government to deliver more housing.

Ku-ring-gai is the third-most advantaged local government area in the nation, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and the highest ranked of the councils targeted in NSW for increased density.

The inquiry resumes public hearings in June.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store