More than 100 people gathered in Katoomba on Friday, March 22 to protest against the lack of rental accommodation in the Mountains.
The number of Airbnbs is reducing the availability of housing, forcing some locals to leave the area, the protest heard. Several community members shared their stories of homelessness to raise awareness.
Cr Suzie van Opdorp, who was at the rally, said: "With housing affordability at an all-time low, Blue Mountains renters are being squeezed out of the rental market. We are seeing growing number of homeless people and a rapidly increasing group of older women who are at severe risk of homelessness."
She said the people who shared their stories "refuse to be silenced and are calling for action to address this basic human right".
Greens Cr Brent Hoare also attended. "Get behind the Blue Mountains movement for housing justice," he said. "Homes before tourism, rights for renters, people not profit, country not property. Everyone should have somewhere to live."
Protest organiser, Genevieve Murray, told ABC TV: "There should be two things - a levy on empty homes and a cap on short-term rentals in residential zones."
The mayor, Cr Mark Greenhill, told the Gazette there were 1,000 Airbnbs in the Mountains.
"Housing affordability is a huge issue all over Sydney, as is availability. Overdevelopment is no answer. After a decade of overdevelopment in Sydney, the housing crisis is worse than ever.
"We need to look at it in a sophisticated way - taxation, foreign investors, Airbnbs and actual public housing options. All these things must be examined.
"With a thousand Airbnbs in the Blue Mountains that are devoid of any regulation, I congratulate the NSW Labor Government for looking at this and being open to sensible solutions that involve consultation with all stakeholders."
Michael Crosby, head of public policy for Airbnb Australia and New Zealand said the company supports fair, sustainable and evidence-based regulation of the short-term rental sector and has suggested a number of recommendations to the New South Wales Government to help address housing pressures.
"According to the ABS, there are 35,000 private dwellings in the Blue Mountains which means non-hosted Airbnb dwellings make up just 1.7 percent of total dwellings.
"NSW Government data shows there are five times more long-term rentals than short-term rentals across the Blue Mountains.
"Something needs to be done about housing - more homes need to be built - and a levy is a great way to contribute to that. Airbnb supports a levy of between 3-5 percent, paid for by the guest at the time of booking, to go towards the building of affordable housing.
"There is no evidence of caps or bans working - you only need to look to New York where we have seen short-term rentals effectively banned without any improvement in rental availability or affordability while the cost of hotels have soared.
"Hosting is an economic lifeline for many during this cost of living crisis, with 40 percent of Aussie hosts saying the money they earn from Airbnb helps them stay in their homes.
"It is important to get the balance right so the core issue of housing affordability is addressed, without jeopardising the economic benefits that flow from short-term rentals, with Airbnb contributing millions to the Blue Mountains economy and helping support thousands of tourism jobs."
