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“The discussions in Taree reflect the growing challenges faced by builders in regional centres, with workforce shortages, planning delays and a lack of enabling infrastructure holding back new housing supply,” HIA Executive Director Hunter, Craig Jennion said today.
“Housing affordability and supply are no longer just city problems they’re biting hard across regional Australia.
“In Taree and across the Mid North Coast, the demand for housing continues to rise, yet local builders are struggling to find land, workers and approvals fast enough to keep up.
“According to HIA’s Housing the Regions report, regional NSW accounted for 42 per cent of all net migration inflows in 2024, showing a strong shift of people leaving the cities for regional life. Yet many towns such as Taree face worsening shortages in both skilled trades and affordable homes.
“Local builders report that project approvals can take many months, material costs remain high and finding qualified trades is a constant challenge particularly for carpentry, bricklaying and electrical work.
“Regional communities like Taree are ready to grow, but they need the right support from government,” Mr Jennion said.
“The Housing the Regions report calls for national and state governments to focus on planning reform, land release and training initiatives to support regional growth.
“Regional NSW has a major role to play in meeting the nation’s housing targets.
“With the right policy focus, towns like Taree can be at the forefront of Australia’s housing recovery,” concluded Mr Jennion.
“New house building approvals were relatively steady in February 2026 at 9,950, the second highest monthly volume in over three years,” stated HIA Senior Economist Tom Devitt.
Proposed changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax would worsen Australia’s rental crisis by reducing the supply of housing and putting upward pressure on weekly rents, Housing Industry Association (HIA) Managing Director Jocelyn Martin said today.
The ongoing situation around fuel supply and pricing is continuing to evolve rapidly. These issues are impacting project timelines and the cost of materials through price increases and fuel or transport surcharges from suppliers. I acknowledge the difficulties this uncertainty creates for businesses across our industry.
This HIA workforce impact overview examines how a major, multi year infrastructure project would interact with an already constrained construction labour market. Drawing on HIA modelling, government data and industry insights, the report finds Tasmania’s construction workforce is operating close to full capacity, with limited ability to absorb additional demand without consequences for housing supply, costs and delivery timeframes.