NO PLACE LIKE HOME

LANDCOM IS LEADING THE MARKET IN OFFERING AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO THE PEOPLE OF NEW SOUTH WALES, WITH CEO JOHN BROGDEN DETERMINED TO PROVE TO PRIVATE DEVELOPERS THAT PROFIT CAN BE MADE FROM HELPING THOSE IN NEED.

- WENDY KAY

John Brogden is a passionate, multidimensional man, as committed to housing struggling Australians as he is to caring about their mental health. The Landcom CEO’s answers to tough questions are real rather than scripted, refreshing considering his political DNA, and they offer insight into how he has used dark episodes of his past to shine a beacon of hope onto others.

The former New South Wales Opposition Leader and Chairman of Lifeline has a long history in the public eye, and while not all of it is pretty, the majority reflects a record of outstanding community service.

Except perhaps when manning the Nippers barbecue at Sydney’s Bilgola Beach on Sunday mornings. “Yes, sometimes I’m the grumpy Nippers barbecue man,” he admits. “Don’t look at my sausages, don’t criticise my sausages and don’t interfere with them. You get what I give you.”

Ok, we get it. Don’t mess with the man when he’s armed with tongs. But it’s his empathy, not macho bravado, that flares when discussing Landcom’s commitment to providing affordable housing in NSW.

The state-owned corporation, comprising a team of around 170, including planners, architects, developers and engineers, uses vacant and established sites to create new residential communities and infrastructure in public and private sectors. It’s delivered more than 94,000 new homes since its inception in 1976, catering predominantly to demand in Sydney, where affordable housing is still out of reach for many and Community Housing Providers (CHP) groan under a 40,000 affordable housing backlog.