Australia's development landscape is in constant flux, shaped by ambitious policy commitments from the government and a looming federal election. While many existing initiatives aim to address critical issues like housing affordability and sustainability, they also present emerging challenges and opportunities that developers must navigate strategically.

A thriving economy doesn’t happen by chance - it starts with a well-informed strategic policy framework. We explore the strategic planning implications that local economic development plans should consider in order to maximise economic growth.

The 2025 Australian federal budget places an emphasis on addressing the nation’s housing supply challenges, introducing a range of measures designed to increase affordability and availability. However, reactions to these initiatives have been mixed, with some supporting the measures overall while others argue that they fall short in addressing the structural reforms needed to solve the housing crisis. We’ve reviewed the key initiatives and their implications, you can read our assessment here.

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.

Our economic advisory work extends beyond analysis, to support you with evidence-based insights to identify opportunities and inform strategic decisions. With experience across both private sector and government, our team bring expertise in trend forecasting, understanding economic indicators and their implications, property research, modelling, and evaluating policy implications. We are here to help you navigate the complexities of the current economic landscape.

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.

Tweed Shire Council have released a Draft Options Paper, Growth Management and Housing Strategy. It acknowledges that the Tweed is the fastest growing LGA in NSW with an additional 31,182 persons projected in the next 20 years, reaching 128,333 persons by 2041. The Tweed is in a housing crisis, experiencing, as much of Australia is, housing not meeting community needs.

Sydney is on the path to become an exemplar global city, not because of any prowess around the planning system, but the potential that has been presented by one of the most significant infrastructure programs shaping future investment of any capital city in Australia over the last 10 years. As the past and first Chief Planner for the NSW Department of Planning and Environment this might be considered a surprise statement.