{{propApi.title}}
{{propApi.text}} {{region}} Change location{{propApi.title}}
{{propApi.successMessage}} {{region}} Change location {{propApi.title}}
{{propApi.text}} {{region}} Change location{{propApi.title}}
{{propApi.successMessage}} {{region}} Change locationBuilding approvals fell sharply during Omicron outbreak
Building approvals fell sharply during Omicron outbreak
Member and guest login
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.
Forgotten password
Need some help?
If you are having problems logging in, please call HIA helpdesk on 1300 650 620 during business hours.
If the email address you have entered is registered, you will receive an email with further instructions.
Become part of the HIA community
Enables quick and easy registration for future events or learning and grants access to expert advice and valuable resources.
Create a guest account
Enter your details below and create a login
Send me exclusive tips, early access to new launches, and special offers. I can change my mind at any time.
By clicking Get started now you agree to the terms and conditions and privacy policy.
“Approvals for detached houses fell by 17.3 per cent and 43.6 per cent for multi-units.
“This sharp fall in January can be attributed to staff shortages during the Omicron outbreak and a higher than usual uptake of holiday leave.
“There are no indications that home building activity is facing weak demand any time soon, despite temporary interruptions from the Omicron outbreak in January.
“The absence of Council workers, private certifiers and building business staff will have weighed on the ability to process approvals.
“We anticipate an above average volume of approvals will be reported in coming months as the impact of this disruption fades.
“Early indications are that home building bounced back as the Omicron wave abated and builders were able to return to work.
“There are more homes under construction at present than in any previous cycle and this will continue to grow until mid-2022.
“The elevated volume of homes approved, but not yet commenced construction, will ensure that January’s brief disruption won’t change builders’ busy schedule this year.
“The Reserve Bank has retained its ‘patient’ stance regarding its record low cash rate, as it waits for consumer behaviour to normalise, supply chain issues to ease and other international developments to emerge.
“This will help ensure that the salient constraint on builders this year remains the price and availability of land, labour and materials, not weak demand,” concluded Mr Devitt.
In seasonally adjusted terms, total residential building approvals decreased in the last three months compared to the previous quarter in Western Australia (-21.0 per cent), New South Wales (-19.1 per cent), Victoria (-13.4 per cent), South Australia (-5.8 per cent), and Queensland (-5.7 per cent), while in original terms, increasing in the Northern Territory (+3.4 per cent), the Australian Capital Territory (+11.0 per cent) and Tasmania (+11.1 per cent).
Brisbane plan must not be derailed by NIMBY opposition
The Housing Industry Association (HIA) has backed Brisbane City Council’s ‘More Homes, Sooner’ plan, warning that community opposition risks undermining much-needed housing supply and worsening affordability pressures across the city.
Dealing with cost increases under your contract
HIA is aware that industry is raising concerns about price increases to fuel and materials arising from the conflict in the Middle East. To assist members to account and respond to price increases we have prepared information on dealing with cost uncertainties and fluctuations under HIA contracts.
How to unpick Keating’s Legacy: a users guide
This opinion piece from HIA Chief Economist Tim Reardon responds to the Reserve Bank of Australia Financial Stability Review and discusses how the cumulative tightening of macroprudential settings has increasingly locked first home buyers out of the market.
HIA delivers Small Business Survey to Deputy Premier
HIA today presented the 2026 Small Business Conditions Survey to the Deputy Premier and Minister for Small Business, Trade and Consumer Affairs, the Hon Guy Barnett MP, during the HIA President’s Luncheon in Hobart, where the Minister met directly with Tasmanian builders to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing residential construction businesses.