There's a good argument the biggest failure of this state government over the past 5½ years has been its refusal to implement any sort of meaningful policy on affordable housing.

In this context "affordable housing" means housing in which people live, and that they might aspire to own, while paying something less than the market rent. This is distinct from social housing, which is typically government-owned (and government-neglected) and, since the 1980s, has been increasingly restricted to people who do not, or cannot, work.

Affordable housing lies somewhere between social housing and what, for many, is the unaffordable market.

If the median Sydney rent in a suburb is $600, a family might rent a (hypothetical) affordable property in that area for $400. The money saved would enable that family to continue living in an area where they have other family and connections and from where they may otherwise be priced out. Or that more affordable rent could enable them to save a deposit to buy their own house.