The National Housing Supply Council has estimated that in 2009–10: - 60% of lower-income rental households across Australia and 62% in NSW were in rental stress (that is, they spent more than 30% of their income on housing); - there was a shortage of 539,000 private rental dwellings that were both affordable and available for renters with gross incomes in the bottom 40% of income distribution. Increased dwelling construction is necessary and will assist those households who can afford to pay. However, increasing supply alone is not enough to assist many households whose incomes are too low to enable them to pay for housing in the private rental market, and who do not have the special needs required to gain access to the limited supply of social housing.