{{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 locationHIA calls for bold housing reforms in 2026–27 ACT Budget
HIA calls for bold housing reforms in 2026–27 ACT Budget
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.
HIA Executive Director ACT & Southern NSW, Geordan Murray, said the budget represents a pivotal opportunity for the ACT to tackle the structural barriers holding back housing delivery.
Mr Murray will be outlining HIA’s key 2026-27 ACT Budget asks at the HIA State of the Nation, Housing Outlook in Canberra on Friday morning, where HIA Chief Economist Tim Reardon and ACT Opposition Leader Mark Parton will be also presenting.
“The ACT is simply not building enough homes, and the system is making it too hard and too costly to deliver the housing that our community urgently needs,” Mr Murray said.
“The Territory faces a structural undersupply of housing, rising population growth, severe labour shortages, and a regulatory burden that places ACT builders at a direct competitive disadvantage compared with NSW. That must change.”
Mr Murray said home building businesses are increasingly shifting across the border to operate in more favourable conditions, taking with them economic activity, jobs and future revenue for the Territory.
“The ACT needs to reposition itself as a pro‑growth, pro‑housing, pro‑business jurisdiction,” he said.
“That means embracing a YIMBY mindset, fixing the tax and regulatory settings that are holding projects back, and making the Territory a more attractive place to invest and build.”
HIA’s key recommendations for the ACT Budget include:
- Abolish the Lease Variation Charge to unlock development feasibility and reduce upfront costs.
- Lifting housing supply targets to an equivalent of 7,000 homes per year through to 2030.
- Reviewing residential land price determination, ensuring settings support new home feasibility.
- Funding to deliver job-readiness and pre-apprenticeship programs in critical residential building trades.
- Extend the transition period for NCC 2025 adoption in to at least twelve months.
Mr Murray said land pricing and business competitiveness are now critical issues for the sector.
“The ACT Government is the monopoly supplier of land. When land is priced in a way that makes new homes uncompetitive with established dwellings, housing supply stalls.
We need land policy that aligns with affordability, not revenue maximisation,” he said.
“Builders right now are weighed down by repeated building code changes, referral delays and appeal processes that slow approvals. These costs ultimately push families out of the market and deter new workers entering into the industry despite the chronic trades shortfall across the Territory.
“If the ACT wants real downward pressure on house prices and rents, supply must grow beyond what we’ve seen before. Matching past output is not enough - the Territory needs ambition, and the Budget must back it,” Mr Murray concluded.
The HIA State of the Nation Lunch will be held at Hotel Realm on Friday, 27 February 2026, commencing at 12:00 pm.
For more information please contact:
Regional growth exposes need for a dedicated national housing plan
The surge of close to 10 million Australians now living in regional areas has exposed deep and growing cracks in the nation’s housing system, highlighting the urgent need for a dedicated national housing plan that works for regional Australia, according to Housing Industry Association (HIA) Chief Executive – Industry Policy, Simon Croft.
International situation and market impacts update
As we head into the Easter break this year, it is deeply unfortunate that I am writing to you as our industry faces yet another challenging and uncertain time with significant business disruption being faced arising from the conflict in the Middle East.
Cost increases, Minimum Financial Requirements and WorkSafe Enforcement updates
With Easter coming up it is time for an update on fuel price related cost increases, the proposed minimum financial requirements, and also some enforcement activity by WorkSafe.
Stadium Workforce Planning is Essential to Protect Housing Supply
Tasmania can deliver both the Macquarie Point Stadium and the homes the community urgently needs, but only if government adopts a clear and coordinated construction workforce strategy, according to the Housing Industry Association (HIA).