A new research paper released by the Australian Productivity Commission has found that productivity in Australia’s housing construction sector has declined, in contrast to strong productivity growth in the broader economy. With housing supply in the spotlight and construction rates falling behind the National Housing Accord targets, this is not welcome news.

In a ground-breaking move for Australia's housing sector, the first vertical land lease community has been approved on the Gold Coast, redefining retirement living options. This new vertical model enables multi-storey living closer to city centres, offering retirees the convenience of urban amenities without sacrificing the benefits of a land lease arrangement.

Earlier this week, the NSW Productivity and Equality Commission (PEC) released their 'Review of Housing Supply Challenges and Policy Options for New South Wales' report, addressing the critical housing supply shortage in New South Wales (NSW). It proposes a comprehensive plan to overcome barriers that hinder housing development and offers recommendations for boosting productivity and equality in the housing market. The report highlights current challenges, such as the construction sector's capacity issues, high costs, and economic feasibility concerns, and provides policy suggestions aimed at increasing housing supply quickly and sustainably.

The housing crisis continues to dominate our newsfeeds, and with new data highlighting that Australia is falling short of meeting the Housing Accord targets, it’s clear that action is required to speed up housing delivery. There is no one size fits all solution to such a complex challenge, diverse solutions are required to meet the changing needs of communities.

Whilst our focus has primarily been on greenfield developments, clients are exploring new high density options (i.e transport rich locations). So why aren’t we seeing more innovative concepts pushing the boundaries on efficient land use?

Solve Property Group’s Chief Planner, Gary White, was recently interviewed about the housing crisis and his perspective on Housing Now!’ call for the NSW Government to appoint a dedicated co-ordinator general to boost housing supply in the state.

It won’t surprise many of you that a new study has found Australia is set to fall short of the housing targets designed to address the nation’s affordability crisis. While there are a number of factors contributing to the undersupply of housing, recent findings released by the UDIA indicate that Australia is on track for it’s lowest approvals since 2012.

Housing Now! has just released a damning report showing that 55% of Greater Sydney LGA's would need to increase their housing contributions by more than 50% to even have a chance of hitting their housing targets.

Speaking on the matter, Former NSW State Government Chief Planner and our very own Gary White was quoted in the Daily Telegraph today referencing the practice of councils deliberately rejecting DAs knowing that courts will later overrule decisions, as a contributing factor to housing delivery challenges.

Housing Australia have now opened round one funding under the Housing Australia Future Fund Facility (HAFFF) and National Housing Accord Facility (NHAF). These Federal Government initiatives are focussed on improving housing outcomes for Australians and will collectively support the delivery of 20,000 new social and 20,000 new affordable homes across Australia over five years. The HAFF is a $10 billion investment fund, the income from which will provide disbursements used to deliver the Federal Government's housing commitment. The Application period for round one funding is from 15 January 2024 until 2:00pm (AEDT) on 22 March 2024.