Enter your email and password to access secured content, members only resources and discount prices.
Did you become a member online? If not, you will need to activate your account to login.
If you are having problems logging in, please call HIA helpdesk on 1300 650 620 during business hours.
If you are having problems logging in, please call HIA helpdesk on 1300 650 620 during business hours.
Enables quick and easy registration for future events or learning and grants access to expert advice and valuable resources.
Enter your details below and create a login
“Many of the measures included in the Housing Statement released two years ago by the then Premier, Daniel Andrews, are strategic and focus on the planning system. However, a significant gap in the Housing Statement has always been the lack of recognition of the people who will build these new homes.
“This includes not only the trades such as carpenters, bricklayers, plumbers, electricians, but the builders who manage these jobs and are responsible to consumers for the building work.
“The massive shortage of labour, and especially trades, has been well recognised in recent years. We need an additional 83,000 workers in Australia just to have a chance of meeting the Australian government’s target to build 1.2 million new homes by mid-2029.
“What has not been so recognised is the growing shortage of home builders. In recent years the number of registered builders has been relatively stagnant, and the number of new builder registration applications has declined. HIA has good reason to believe that about two thirds of currently registered builders are not actively building now.
“HIA in recent years has been contacted by many builders who have left the home building industry. They are not going broke. They are leaving because they find the task of managing a home building business too difficult and stressful.
“They are leaving because they believe that governments do not value them and their work.
“They are leaving because they expect not to be able to secure enough domestic building insurance cover to be able to maintain their existing business, let alone grow their business.
“And they are leaving because they feel that governments believe that builders being paid for their completed work is optional.
“Ultimately the ambitions of the Housing Statement can only be achieved if we have enough trades and builders to build these new homes. It is time for the government to accept that reality,” concluded Mr Ryan.
“Over the last 25 years, the price of the typical new residential lot of land has risen more than three times faster than construction costs,” stated HIA Chief Economist Tim Reardon.
The Housing Industry Association (HIA) today welcomed the Tasmanian Government’s announcement that Mr Ben Wilson has been appointed interim Chief Executive Officer of Homes Tasmania, stepping down from his role as Chair of the Homes Tasmania Board.
“Today is a bad day for business in NSW with the passage of the Digital Work Systems Bill,” said Brad Armitage, HIA NSW Executive Director.
The South Australian Government recently introduced changes to the laws that deal with licensing of builders and trades, as well as domestic building contracts. These changes commenced on 15 January 2026.