From commitment to capability

National Cabinet took an important step in August 2023 by endorsing the 10 point National Planning Reform Blueprint. It recognised what industry has long understood: fragmented, slow and overly complex planning systems are actively suppressing housing supply and pushing up costs.

HIA’s Planning Blueprint Scorecard was established to test whether that commitment is being matched by action. The 2026 update paints a mixed picture. Some jurisdictions are embracing reform with genuine intent and momentum. Others remain stuck in business-as-usual approaches, despite mounting evidence that existing systems are failing to deliver.

The consequences are already clear. In 2024–25 alone, housing completions were almost 67,000 dwellings short of the annual target implied by the NHA. That shortfall has compounded the task ahead, meaning Australia must now deliver around 260,000 new homes per year nationally to meet the five year target.

Bold reform is possible

The Scorecard shows that meaningful reform is achievable. New South Wales stands out as the most ambitious reformer. State-led rezonings, expanded complying development pathways, pre-endorsed design pattern books and the creation of a development coordination authority all signal a serious attempt to tackle delays across the housing pipeline. While it remains early days, these reforms represent the most substantial overhaul of the NSW planning system in decades.

Western Australia and South Australia continue to perform strongly, recording the highest overall planning scores for 2026. Both states have combined streamlined approval frameworks with consistent design codes and major land-release programs. South Australia’s Housing Roadmap, supported by a modern, digital planning system and land supply dashboard, demonstrates how cutting red tape and planning for long-term supply can work together.

Victoria is beginning to gain momentum through deemed-to-comply standards for townhouses and low rise housing and reforms that reduce the need for planning permits for single dwellings. However, the benefits of these reforms risk being undermined by additional taxes and charges that threaten the commercial viability of new housing projects.

Where reform is stalling

Queensland again records one of the lowest scores. Despite clear recommendations from the independent Queensland Productivity Commission, meaningful statewide planning reform has stalled. The lack of standardisation across 77 local government planning schemes continues to impose unnecessary cost, delay and complexity, a burden ultimately borne by Queensland’s homebuyers and renters.

Tasmania and the Northern Territory also require significant reform to unlock housing supply. Both face weak strategic planning frameworks, slow approvals and limited delivery of shovel ready land. Without stronger alignment between long-term housing strategies and statutory planning controls, housing pipelines in these jurisdictions will remain constrained.

Red tape is a bigger problem than resources

Across jurisdictions, the causes of delay are strikingly similar. Overlapping rules, subjective decision-making, repeated requests for additional information and inconsistent local interpretations add time, cost and uncertainty to projects of all scales.

In some jurisdictions, HIA members report waiting six to nine months for planning approval on a simple house or granny flat, in many cases spending more time waiting for paperwork than actually building onsite. These timeframes are fundamentally incompatible with the scale of housing delivery now required.

The HIA Scorecard makes clear that faster decisions do not mean lower standards. They require clearer rules, better alignment between planning and building systems, and broader use of streamlined, code based assessment pathways that prioritise low risk housing development.

All housing types must be enabled

There is no single solution to Australia’s housing crisis. Focusing narrowly on one housing type or location will not deliver the volume or diversity required.

Australia needs more homes delivered up, out and in-between, including more greenfield estates, high-rise apartments and smaller-scale infill development such as townhouses, duplexes, terraces and secondary dwellings. Planning systems must facilitate all forms of housing, in appropriate locations, with infrastructure delivered in step.

Restrictive zoning, out-dated density controls and excessive overlays continue to limit housing choice, particularly in well-located urban areas. In some capital cities, up to 80 per cent of residential land is locked into low density zoning, severely constraining supply. Unlocking this land is essential to restoring affordability.

A call for leadership and accountability

Amid an overcrowded landscape of housing announcements, the HIA Planning Blueprint Scorecard is designed to improve transparency and accountability. It shows where reform is occurring, where it is stalling and where urgent change is needed to empower the building industry to deliver more homes.

Disappointingly, no jurisdiction scores higher than three out of five in the 2026 assessment. This underlines how much work remains. HIA is calling for stronger Commonwealth leadership to support states and territories with best-practice tools, including digital planning portals, land-supply dashboards, design pattern books and emerging AI-assisted assessment technologies, that can be adopted nationally to accelerate housing delivery.

The housing crisis will not be solved by targets alone. It will be solved when planning systems shift from being gatekeepers to enablers of supply. The message from the 2026 Scorecard is clear: reform is possible, but only if governments act decisively and consistently. Australia cannot afford to wait.