Janelle Saffin MP’s Tweed Valley Weekly column for September 2025:
I WELCOME the announcement of a Parliamentary inquiry into rural housing and second dwellings.
I have spoken about our housing crisis in Parliament and said we need to make it easier to have secondary dwellings on land in rural and regional areas. My farmer groups have come to me too about the need for planning reforms so farmers can build extra houses on their land.
I have also discussed secondary dwellings with the Minister for Planning Paul Scully and it was raised with him at the recent Community Cabinet in Tweed Heads. We all support this inquiry and eagerly await its findings and recommendations.
The Select Committee on Rural Housing and Second Dwellings Reform has been set up to conduct the inquiry and is to report back by February 2026.
Under the terms of reference the committee is to inquire into and report on reforms to facilitate the building of second dwellings in rural zones, potential amendments to state environment planning policies, the benefits and risks of secondary dwellings and interaction between secondary dwellings and potential impacts on rural activities.
The terms of reference also cover issues such as the potential impacts of reforms on housing affordability, multi-generational living and rural population growth.
I know this is something that many locals will be interested in and I will let you know when they are calling for submissions. There are a number of aspects to consider and I know Councils have concerns about how secondary dwellings would be assessed for rates. I think that is something that can be worked out, and shouldn’t be a barrier to reform.
Information on the committee and its inquiry is available on the Parliamentary website: https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/listofcommittees/Pages/committee-details.aspx?pk=338
Focus on Cattle Tick Program
THE Minns Labor Government has announced Dr Katherine Clift as the state’s new Independent Biosecurity Commissioner, to provide expert advice and strengthen the state’s safeguards against biosecurity threats.
I was very pleased to see that one of Dr Clift’s first priorities will be to provide advice on the state’s Cattle Tick Program.
The tick program has been running for more than 100 years in our region, to protect livestock in north-east NSW up to the Queensland border where the tick is a well-known pest.
I have been working with farmers, veterinarians and farmers organisations to get attention for this program and am very pleased to see it has been flagged as such an important issue for the Commissioner.
The NSW Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty has asked Dr Clift to determine the most effective approach for the future management of cattle tick in NSW and I thank the Minister for highlighting this as a priority.
Dr Clift will work with stakeholders in the beef industry in our region, review the present program and make recommendations for improvements to get more effective biosecurity outcomes.
It was a Minns Government election commitment to set up the role of Biosecurity Commissioner to provide independent expert advice on biosecurity protection, detection and response.
