The roundtable brought together local builders, developers, regional leaders and industry stakeholders from across the Shoalhaven, alongside Senator Andrew Bragg, Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness and Christopher Rath, NSW Shadow Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Shadow Minister for Housing, Shadow Minister for Cities, Shadow Minister for the Arts, Shadow Minister for the Illawarra and South Coast to examine the region’s growing inability to deliver enough housing to support population growth, workforce needs and economic development.

HIA Chief Executive, Industry and Policy, Simon Croft, said the discussions made clear that housing demand in regional centres such as Nowra is accelerating faster than the construction system can respond.

“Strong population growth in the Shoalhaven is being driven by people seeking affordability, lifestyle and employment opportunities outside major capitals,” Mr Croft said.

“However, the roundtable highlighted that housing supply is simply not keeping pace with demand, and the current one‑size‑fits‑all approach to housing policy is not working for regional Australia.”

Participants at the roundtable, detailed the real‑world consequences of ongoing housing shortages, including severe rental constraints, rapidly rising rents and house prices that are increasingly disconnected from local wages.

‘Essential workers are struggling to secure rental accommodation, young people are being priced out of their own communities, and local businesses are finding it harder to attract staff because people cannot find a place to live,’ Mr Croft said.

Builders and developers outlined the compounding pressures limiting new housing delivery in the region, including rising construction and finance costs, ongoing labour shortages, fragmented planning systems and lengthy approval delays that continue to undermine productivity.

“Regional New South Wales is absorbing a significant share of Australia’s population growth, yet housing policy and investment remain heavily skewed towards capital cities,” Mr Croft said.

“This disconnect is exacerbating affordability pressures in regional communities and weakening the capacity of the construction sector to deliver at the scale and speed required.’
Mr Croft said the roundtable reinforced the need for a long‑term, coordinated national response that recognises the distinct challenges facing regional, rural and coastal communities.

‘Housing must be treated as essential economic and social infrastructure, particularly in regions that are supporting population growth and workforce expansion,’ he said.

‘A dedicated national housing plan must set place‑based targets for regional areas, support housing supply beyond capital cities, reduce barriers constraining construction productivity, and better align housing investment with infrastructure, health, education and workforce planning.’

“If governments want people to live and work in regions like the Shoalhaven, housing policy must reflect regional realities and support a construction sector that can efficiently deliver homes where they are needed,” concluded Mr Croft.

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