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{{propApi.successMessage}} {{region}} Change locationCairns needs to get its land shovel-ready for new housing
Cairns needs to get its land shovel-ready for new housing
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The HIA-Cotality Residential Land Report provides updated information on sales activity in 52 housing markets across Australia, including the six state capital cities.
“At the same time, the region saw more lot sales in the latest six-month period than any equivalent period since the end of the pandemic boom four years earlier," added Mr Fry.
“Cairns appears to be following regions like Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday and Townsville in seeing a resurgence of demand for housing.
“There appears to be fewer vacant land sales and new lot registrations recorded by the Queensland Government Statistical Office in Cairns Regional Council.
“In the 12 months to March 2026, there were 246 vacant land sales in Cairns Regional Council, which is 42.1 per cent lower compared to the previous year.
“There were 512 new lots registered in Cairns Regional Council in the 2025/26 financial year, which is 27.6 per cent lower compared to the previous year.
“Mount Peter represents one of the most significant opportunities to create a steady pipeline of new shovel-ready land in the region, but progress has been held back by poor infrastructure coordination.
“The designation of Mount Peter as a Priority Development Area is a welcome step, but greater urgency and coordination across all levels of government is needed to unlock the area and provide the certainty required to bring more land to market.
“Governments also need to recognise that increasing developer infrastructure charges ultimately flow through to higher land costs for homebuyers.
“If the goal is to improve housing affordability and boost supply, we need infrastructure funding and delivery models that help unlock new housing rather than add further costs to residential land.
“The upcoming Brisbane Olympics makes it especially important for regions across Queensland to have a solid pipeline of work ready to go if they want to hold onto – and expand – their construction workforces.
“Land is the number one long term constraint on home building across the country, a fact that has been obscured in recent years by significant challenges around materials and labour costs.
“Cairns Regional Council has 175,600 people, implying it should build 1,550 homes per year to meet its share of the Australian Government’s Housing Accord target.
“Unfortunately, in 2025/26, Cairns Regional Council has only approved less than 700 per year, which is less than half what it needs to build.
“Cairns’ – and Australia's – ability to meet its home building requirements will depend less on stimulating demand for housing than on improving the speed and cost at which residential land can be brought to market.
“Shocks this year around fuel prices, inflation, interest rates and the Federal Budget represent temporary disruptions to market confidence.
“Population growth remaining strong and new households continuing to form, means we will continue to build fewer homes than are needed.
“As confidence returns, these underlying pressures will once again place upward pressure on housing prices unless land and infrastructure are brought to market in a timely fashion,” concluded Mr Fry.
Download the latest HIA-Cotality Residential Land Report.
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