City of Ryde sought your feedback on our Draft Key Workers Affordable Housing Policy, which will replace the existing Affordable Housing Policy 2016.

The new Draft Key Worker Affordable Housing Policy 2025 supports and facilitates the provision of affordable housing through various available planning mechanisms. It also emphasises the importance of attracting and retaining 'key workers' who provide important services to City of Ryde's community and support our economy.

An aspirational target of 1000 key worker affordable housing dwellings is proposed in the new draft policy. Based on existing housing construction targets, these new homes will be created over the next 10 years.

  • View the Draft Policy

    View the Draft Key Workers Affordable Housing Policy 2025

    PDF (11.2 MB) 

Frequently Asked Questions

Affordable Housing is not the same as Social Housing.

Affordable rental housing offers residential accommodation for people on generally low to moderate household incomes. Affordable Housing is usually delivered, owned and managed by local councils and not-for-profit community housing providers. Generally, rent is charged at a discount rate to market rent.

Social Housing is rental housing that is partly or fully funded by State or Federal Governments and let to eligible people and families on very low household incomes. This includes public and Aboriginal housing.

Social Housing is usually delivered and managed by State Government. Generally, tenants pay no more than 30 percent of household income on rent.


Key Workers are employees in services that are essential to a city’s functioning but who earn low to moderate incomes and their work roles require them to be physically present at a work site rather than being able to work from home. A key worker is defined by their occupation as detailed in the occupation categories including:

  • Teachers (all types from early childhood to secondary school and special education)
  • Registered and enrolled nurses
  • Social workers
  • Frontline emergency workers (including ambulance officers and paramedics, firefighters and police officers)
  • Child carers
  • Educational aides
  • Aged and disability carers
  • Personal care workers
  • Public transport drivers
  • Delivery drivers
  • Retail workers
  • Cleaners

The City of Ryde owns and manages a small portfolio of affordable housing units.

The Council has determined that it will prioritise the following as tenants for City of Ryde owned affordable rental housing; teachers, nurses, 000 service providers (such as, ambulance officers, paramedics, firefighters and police officers), childcare workers and cleaners.

^ Adapted from Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (2025) Glossary.