The Faster Assessments Incentive Program: Aligning Incentives with Real Housing Delivery
The NSW Government’s new Faster Assessments Incentive Program offers $200 million in funding to councils, aiming to help them accelerate development application (DA) assessments and support dwelling targets under the Housing Accord by 2029. The intent is clear and commendable – faster and more efficient assessments should, in theory, remove delays in the planning system. However, while the program encourages councils to process DAs more quickly, it does raise an important question: does a faster determination actually mean more homes are delivered on the ground? The Gap Between Approvals and Delivery DA determinations are an early step in the housing delivery process, but they are not a guarantee that homes will be built. Many approvals never progress to construction, while others are delayed by factors outside the assessment system, such as infrastructure availability, market conditions, or delivery viability. Measuring success solely by approvals risks overstating the impac...