Business Sydney
Exclusive morning tea | WITH peter achterstraat am
NSW's Productivity Commissioner
Monday, 24 July 2023
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM (including morning tea)
Where
Business Sydney (new offices) | L6, 8 Chifley Square, Sydney
Registration
Business Sydney Members & Guests
The NSW Productivity Commissioner, Peter Achterstraat AM, recently addressed Business Sydney's members and guests to examine the current housing supply crisis and what can be done to solve it.
There is no more important or urgent issue than housing and no one is better equipped than Mr Achterstraat to provide his insights on the factors at play in our economy.
As NSW Productivity Commissioner, he recently issued a special report entitled, “Building More Homes Where People Want to Live”.
It is one of a series of papers that considers how to make housing more affordable and make best use of Sydney’s infrastructure. It also confirms concerns that housing supply has not kept up with increases in demand, resulting in consistent upward pressure on house prices and rents.
The NSW Department of Planning and Environment has estimated that NSW will require approximately 900,000 additional dwellings by 2041.
According to Mr Achterstraat’s NSW Productivity Commission, the greatest effect on house prices could be achieved by increasing housing density in areas of highest demand, particularly those closest to the Sydney CBD.
After his address, Mr Achterstraat sat down with Business NSW Chief Economist, Dr Sherman Chan and David Borger, Executive Director, Business Western Sydney and the lead of Business NSW's new initiative "Housing Now!"
Thank you to Duncan Edghill, CEO, ALTRAC Light Rail for moving the vote of thanks.
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EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Special GuestS
Peter Achterstraat AM
NSW Productivity Commissioner
Peter Achterstraat AM, is the inaugural NSW Productivity Commissioner having been appointed in May 2018.
Peter was the Auditor-General of NSW from 2006 to 2013. Prior to this, he was the Chief Commissioner State Revenue for New South Wales from July 1999 and the Deputy Commissioner of Taxation with the Australian Taxation Office from 1987.
He holds an honors degree in Economics as well as degrees in Law and Commerce from the ANU. Peter was admitted to the Bar of the NSW Supreme Court in 1983 and a Barrister in the High Court of Australia in 1985. He has University Prizes in Company Finance and in Accounting. In 2006 Peter was admitted into the ANU College of Business and Economics Hall of Fame.
Peter served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Sydney’s Graduate School of Government (2013 -2017) and was a Principal (Infrastructure Advisor) at WorleyParsons from 2013-2016. He was awarded an Order of Australia in 2014 for his Financial Management and Governance roles.
He was the President of the NSW Division of the Australian Institute of Company Directors from 2015 -2020.
Peter is the Chairman of Bankstown Airport Ltd. He was is also the Chairman of the Sydney Financial Forum from 2017 -2022.
DR SHERMAN CHAN
Chief Economist, Business NSW
Sherman joined Business NSW in March 2022. In her role as Chief Economist, she drives strategic policy research and builds the important evidence base for subsequent advocacy directions. She manages the quarterly Business Conditions Survey – the flagship research project that generates insights into business sentiment across key industries in NSW. Sherman has been a Lecturer at UNSW since 2014. Proficient in both macroeconomics and microeconomics, she specialises in government policy evaluation, impact measurement and cost-benefit analysis. Sherman has experience in government, banking and consulting. Prior to joining Business NSW, she was a Senior Manager at MinterEllison’s consulting practice. This followed a six-year stint in NSW Government with agencies including NSW Treasury and the Audit Office of NSW where she led large-scale and complex program evaluations and performance audits. Sherman’s journey as an economist also includes working at Moody’s Analytics and HSBC in Hong Kong during the Global Financial Crisis, covering economies and financial markets across the Asia-Pacific region. Having commenced her career at the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, Sherman has a strong research interest in bank lending. Her PhD thesis also examined the challenges faced by banks in meeting regulatory requirements and satisfying customer demand for credit. |
David Borger
Executive Director of Business Western Sydney
David has led Business Western Sydney since its foundation in 2012. Prior to this, he served as the Minister for Western Sydney, Minister for Housing, Minister for Roads, and Minister assisting the Minister for Transport and Roads in NSW Labor Governments.
He was also the youngest person, at 30 years of age, to hold the office of Lord Mayor of Parramatta.
David is currently a Director of Think Planners, Independent Chair of the Liverpool Innovation Precinct, a non-executive director on the boards of the NRMA and Evolve Housing, a Trustee of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, and a member of the Placemaking NSW Advisory Committee.