New South Wales (NSW) schools are grappling with a teacher shortage. Plans to resolve the teacher shortage are complicated and exacerbated by the current housing crisis. This report analysed teacher workforce and housing shortages to set out clear policy opportunities for government action.

Unable to keep up with housing costs, teachers are forced to live further from workplaces, endure longer commutes and are more likely to experience ill health and burnout, which can negatively impact student outcomes.

The policy challenge for government is securing the right qualified teachers where they are most needed in the system. To address the short, medium and long-term sustainability of the teaching workforce, there are opportunities available to the NSW Government to optimise interventions to supply key worker housing:

1. establish 'key worker housing' as a new asset class. This category should define 'key workers' based on the delivery of public services
2. expand key worker housing stock through a diversified portfolio
3. Adopt FAIR data principles to improve the findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability of government data assets for the purpose of designing evidence-informed policy options.