Teal MP's Bold Push for 150 Affordable Homes After Railing Against Skyrocketing Prices

A Controversial Stance on Housing in Bradfield

Nicolette Boele, the Member of Parliament for Bradfield, has found herself at the center of a heated debate over housing affordability and development. Representing one of Australia’s wealthiest electorates, Boele has faced criticism for her contradictory position on new housing projects. While she has publicly expressed concerns about the unaffordable nature of housing in her area, she has also opposed a proposed development that would add 150 new homes to Castlecrag, a suburb within her electorate.

Boele gained notoriety after narrowly winning the seat of Bradfield by just 26 votes over Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian. Her campaign focused on issues such as housing affordability and the challenges faced by young families. She took to social media to highlight data showing that Bradfield has some of the lowest birth rates in Sydney, attributing this trend to the high cost of living and the difficulty of purchasing a home.

According to CoreLogic data from March, the median house price in Bradfield exceeds $2.7 million, requiring buyers to save more than $540,000 for a 20% deposit. Boele argued that such high prices make it nearly impossible for average-income families to settle in the area, leading to delayed or avoided family planning.

To address these issues, Boele has proposed a rent-to-own scheme that would allow buyers to lease a property with a fixed purchase price for a set period. This approach, she claims, would give potential homeowners time to save without being affected by rapidly rising market prices.

However, just two days before making this proposal, Boele opposed an 11-storey apartment development in Castlecrag. The project would have included 150 new homes and a mixed-use space called Queensbridge, built on the site of the Quadrangle Shopping Centre. It was intended to provide affordable housing options for residents looking to move into the area.

The opposition to the development came as a surprise to many, especially given that Boele had previously supported a smaller five-storey development plan that was scrapped when the land was sold to a new developer. Critics argue that her stance contradicts her public commitment to affordable housing.

In response, Boele emphasized that her concern was not with building homes but with responsible planning. “This isn’t about saying 'no' to homes. It's about saying 'yes' to responsible planning,” she said. She claimed that the 11-storey tower lacked adequate consultation and could create obstacles rather than solutions.

Her comments sparked backlash from constituents who felt she was out of touch with the severity of the housing crisis. Many pointed out that only 33 new homes have been built in Castlecrag since 1991. One person wrote, “And here I was thinking electing a teal in the north shore would change things for young people around here. Just another entitled homeowner who wants young people priced out of where they live.”

Others argued that the suburb lacks the necessary infrastructure to support high-density housing. “I'm no NIMBY, but this is the right call for now. Castlecrag isn't well connected by public transport and the roads aren't wide enough to accommodate more people,” one resident said.

A protest against the development was held by the Castlecrag Progress Association, which opposes the project. Justin Simon of the housing advocacy group Sydney YIMBY criticized Boele’s position as part of a broader pattern. “It's unfortunately a common pattern that politicians support new housing in the abstract, but will find fault with any concrete proposal,” he said. He argued that decades of resistance to development have contributed to the unaffordability of areas like Bradfield.

Simon added, “Housing affects how people have families, how many kids they have, how much time they're able to spend with them. We should make it easier for young families to get set up on the North Shore.”

Despite the controversy, Boele has not yet responded to requests for comment. Her position highlights the complex challenges of balancing housing affordability, community concerns, and urban development in one of Australia’s most expensive suburbs.