“House approvals are taking longer than ever to pass through local councils, worsening Australia’s housing and rental shortages, with regional areas hit even harder,” says Mike Hermon, HIA Executive Director of Planning & Environment.
ABS data shows that 28% of Australians now live outside major cities, a figure expected to rise as people are priced out of metro areas. Unfortunately, housing shortages are more severe across regional towns.
Hermon points to three key barriers slowing housing delivery in regional Australia: lack of shovel-ready land, insufficient infrastructure for new estates, and staff shortages in regional councils. Despite the National Planning Reform Blueprint aiming to fast-track approvals, little progress has been made, with no state scoring higher than 3 out of 5 on HIA’s ‘Planning Scorecard.’
“The time for business-as-usual solutions has passed. Bold leadership from all levels of government is needed to address the challenges facing regional Australia,” Hermon concluded.