Current at: 18 July 2010
Investment in infrastructure for regional cities to support the delivery of new housing is money well spent says the Housing Industry Association.
HIA Managing Director, Shane Goodwin, said today that to catch up on many years of housing undersupply and meet the demands of our growing population will require a balance between delivering new housing in urban ‘greenfield’ areas, in established suburban areas and in regional centres.
“Either way, funding the delivery of necessary infrastructure to support new housing is now the single greatest challenge for governments,” Mr Goodwin said.
“The Federal Government’s commitment to assisting regional cities with funding the delivery of necessary infrastructure will help bring forward housing projects without passing the costs onto new home buyers”, said Mr Goodwin.
“Importantly, today’s announcement acknowledges the critically important contribution that Federal Government must make in funding urban and regional infrastructure needed to facilitate and support the delivery of new and affordable housing,” said Mr Goodwin.
“Targeting regional cities with obvious employment prospects, aligning the efforts and goodwill of participating councils with the private sector, and tying the funding to key deliverables, including 15,000 new homes, makes good sense.”