Tackling the Housing Crisis - Sydney

Summary

Please note: this event is for over 18’s only.

CIOB is pleased to announce President Paul Gandy FCIOB and Dr Victoria Hills visit to Australia in March 2026.

Event Overview

Australia continues to face a significant housing shortfall driven by population growth, constrained supply, and rising affordability pressures. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated action across government, industry, planning authorities, and community stakeholders.

This CPD session brings together key leaders and practitioners to examine practical approaches for increasing housing supply and improving delivery outcomes. Discussions will explore modern methods of construction (MMC), alternative financing mechanisms, and the role of infrastructure enabled development in shaping sustainable residential growth.

The NSW Government is progressing the completion of the long abandoned Woollahra Station, with construction anticipated between 2027 and 2029. The project is connected to the potential delivery of up to 10,000 new homes, including affordable housing, through state led rezoning in Woollahra and Edgecliff.

This initiative forms part of a strategy to rebalance housing growth within well serviced inner eastern Sydney. Woollahra Council has raised concerns around affordability, infrastructure demands and community impacts, underscoring the importance of strong planning, consultation, and governance.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Strengthen their understanding of the current drivers of Australia’s housing crisis.
• Understand the basis for MMC being a strategic pathway for increasing delivery capacity and improving project efficiency.
• Gain real world experience from a live Case Study on Woollahra Station project and how this is a great example of infrastructure supported housing growth.
• Receive practical insights on how alternate financing mechanisms, including Housing Australia programs, are growing supply of social and affordable housing.
• Build their knowledge on relevant approaches for balancing community expectations, urban design principles, quality trustworthy construction and infrastructure supported growth corridors.

Our Panellists

Anne White

Manager Strategic Planning and Place - Woollahra Municipal Council

With over twenty years of experience, Anne White is an accomplished urban planner known for her strategic approach to city design, community engagement, and placed based planning. With a strong focus on creating liveable, people-centred environments, Anne has contributed to a range of urban activation and policy initiatives that balance growth with environmental responsibility.

Michael Camerlengo

Deputy Chief Investment Officer and Executive Leader, Clients and Capital - Housing Australia
Michael is Housing Australia's Deputy Chief Investment Officer, leading teams focused on Major and Growth Clients, which manage the Housing Australia Future Fund and financial products for housing and infrastructure projects. Before Housing Australia, he spent nearly 20 years at KPMG, serving as a Partner and Asia Pacific Head of the Government Sector, as well as Head of the Infrastructure Sector for China and Hong Kong. Michael specialises in investment structuring, corporate and project finance, and PPP in the real estate and infrastructure sectors.

Representative from Affordable Housing Association

A Representative from Affordable Housing Association (City West / Linked Bridge)

Martin Fenn

Chief Delivery Officer – PT Blink

Martin Fenn is a senior construction leader with 25+ years’ international experience across the UK, New Zealand and Australia, specialising in scaling innovative construction approaches and unlocking commercial advantage through offsite delivery. As Chief Delivery Officer at PT Blink, he leads the deployment of their rapid-assembly kit-of-parts platform for multi-storey buildings. He is also MMC Lead (Oceania) and Brisbane Hub Vice-Chair for the CIOB, connecting industry leaders to accelerate transformation across the sector.

Moderator

Niall McSweeney

Head of Development Advisory (APAC) at Altus Group
Niall is Head of Development Advisory (APAC) at Altus Group, bringing over 30 years of experience in property development strategy and advisory. He is also Chair of the CIOB Sydney Hub.

The panel session will be followed by networking with complimentary food and beverages.

Attendance is free for CIOB members. Book now to avoid disappointment!

This learning activity can contribute to your annual CPD return and should be logged accordingly.

Contact

Jessie Purtell

Member Services and Events Co-ordinator - Oceania

[email protected]

0428 345 945

How can we help you get the most out of this event? We want to ensure accessibility for all of our members. Please contact us in confidence prior to attendance and we will do our best to answer any questions and support any additional needs you may have.