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HIA Planning Blueprint Scorecard
The National Planning Reform Blueprint key reform measures included:
- Updating state, regional, and local strategic plans to reflect housing supply targets.
- Promoting medium and high-density housing in well-located areas close to existing public transport connections, amenities and employment.
- Streamlining approval pathways.
The Housing Industry Association (HIA) is broadly supportive of National Cabinet’s 10 point National Planning Reform Blueprint and keen to work with governments to see the key planning reform measures needed implemented to aid achievement of the government's ambitious housing goal.
To achieve this HIA has undertaken a comprehensive assessment of each state and territory's planning systems and their progress in implementing the 10 point National Planning Reform Blueprint. This has been produced as a HIA Scorecard which outlines each jurisdiction's progress and the key areas of improvement that could help each region reach their respective Housing Accord's targets.
Key measures to build 1.2 million homes
Cut red tape
Higher density housing
More shovel ready land to market
Faster decisions
Housing Accord targets 2024 - 2029
A breakdown of each state's contribution to the national housing goals
Building 1.2 million homes will require a significant uptick in new housing. Each state and territory must initiate planning, zoning, land release and density reforms to deliver their share. Here's what each state's share of housing is as a proportion of the Accord target.
HIA Planning Blueprint Scorecard
How each state measures up
We have developed the HIA Scorecard as an in-depth and strategic assessment of the Metropolitan and Housing strategies of each state and territory. Each region received an aggregate score out of 5 which indicates its ability to accelerate housing delivery and achieve the Accord's mission. HIA's aim is to review this score on an annual basis to track progress delivery across the nation.
New South Wales: 1.5/5 aggregate score
While the NSW Government is taking steps to address state-wide housing shortages, the planning system continues to fail at the delivery level.
Key measures to improve the New South Wales planning system:
- Ensuring a continuous supply of serviced and development-ready land to underpin the delivery of new homes at affordable prices.
- Addressing the intergovernmental complexities of the NSW Planning System which result in inefficiencies, delays and extra costs for home buyers.
- Expanding the use of code-assessment by private certifiers to reduce approval backlogs in councils while freeing-up council time for more complex assessments.
Victoria: 2.0/5 aggregate score
While Victoria’s planning framework is comprehensive its application in practice is mediocre as it lacks adequate requirements for the transparent monitoring and reporting of land supply and does not fully implement a code-assess system that would assist with faster decisions.
Key measures to improve the Victorian planning system:
- A complete review and replacement of the existing planning legislation.
- Review and update the functionality and transparency of the Urban Development Program to provide real-time monitoring and reporting of the supply of greenfield residential land in Melbourne's Growth Areas.
- Facilitate faster decisions by completing work relating to codification of residential development applications.
Queensland: 1.5/5 aggregate score
Whilst the framework of the planning system is generally adequate, it is the application that requires improvement. Significant improvements are required for the monitoring and reporting of land supply. At present this is being inconsistently applied across stages of development and throughout the state.
Key measures to improve the Queensland planning system:
- Reporting on land supply, at all stages of development, across all regions. Reporting must be easy for all to access, regular and consistent.
- Develop a state-wide infill development code, which eliminates current barriers and constraints to such development approvals.
- Cutting red tape to provide for faster decisions. This can be achieved by reducing regulatory barriers to delivering new homes by forming a single state authority responsible for planning and housing reform.
Western Australia: 3.0/5 aggregate score
The WA planning system performs adequately, though is burdened in parts by red tape and lack of strategic assessment.
Key measures to improve the Western Australia planning system:
- Enabling Private Planning Certification, like WA’s Building Permit Certification Application process. The pathway for planning determinations could retain Local Government as the decision-maker and offer similar and significant time-saving opportunities for Grouped and Multiple Dwelling developments, along with Single Houses that may be subject to a Design-principles assessment.
- Resourcing a Strategic Assessment for one-stop-shop for environment approvals, similar to WA’s Strategic Assessment of the Perth and Peel Region (SAPPR).
South Australia: 3.0/5 aggregate score
Since March 2021 South Australia has had a phased introduction of a new planning system. This new planning whilst an improvement still requires greater alignment between strategic planning objectives and statutory planning implementation.
Key measures to improve the South Australia planning system:
- Extending the ‘accepted development’ model that applies to detached homes in Master Planned Neighbourhood and Master Planned Township zones to other areas of the state.
- Amending the scope of work for planning certifiers to help address resourcing issues experienced in the local government sector and decrease turnaround times for applications.
- Following recent holistic planning reform review strategic objectives and statutory implementation to ensure unintended barriers and constraints to development, such as tree and driveway provisions, are addressed.
Tasmania: 2.0/5 aggregate score
Tasmania’s planning system is considered mediocre, as it lacks adequate focus on residential land, including identifying strategic development opportunities and provision of well-located higher density housing.
Key measures to improve the Tasmania planning system:
- Require regional land use strategies to have a greater emphasis on the status of residential land at all stages of the development pipeline.
- Provide for higher density housing by developing a targeted medium-density residential code.
- Cut red tape by completing PlanBuild to provide for single online lodgement and tracking of approvals through the system.
Australian Capital Territory: 2.5/5 aggregate score
The ACT’s planning system is of mediocre performance due to a lack of strong connection between strategic objectives and statutory implementation. This results in a deficit of shovel ready land being brought to market in a cost-effective manner and the provision of higher density housing being slow to respond to Canberra’s growing demand.
Key measures to improve the Australian Capital Territory planning system:
- Develop a suite of statutory tools that implement streamlined approvals pathways to deliver planning priorities outlined in the Statement of Planning Priorities 2024-25.
- Review the new planning system which commenced in November 2023 to ensure the outcomes-based planning system approach is fair and equitable for all stakeholders.
- Streamline the land development process and improve transparency of performance, so that the pace of land release does not continue to fall below the levels required to meet housing demand.
Northern Territory: 1.5/5 aggregate score
The NT planning system lacks strong strategic direction and objectives to guide residential development. It significantly hinders the ability to implement suitable statutory planning instruments that provide certainty for industry and develop efficient decision-making processes.
Key measures to improve the Northern Territory planning system:
- Greater investment in strategic planning to allow more areas for urban growth to be investigated.
- Improved implementation of planning assessment guidance documents, such as Designing Better to better facilitate streamlined approvals.
- Prioritise a land development strategy that adequately identifies future land supply and population needs for the next 20 years.
- Set out an infrastructure delivery program that priorities key trunk infrastructure to fast track the delivery of shovel ready land.
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