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{{propApi.successMessage}} {{region}} Change locationRegional housing must be a priority in the 2026 Victorian election
Regional housing must be a priority in the 2026 Victorian election
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Builders, industry leaders and political representatives met in Wodonga today for a HIA Regional Housing Roundtable where housing construction businesses came together from across north-east Victoria to discuss the reforms needed to improve housing affordability, strengthen regional economies and grow the construction workforce.
HIA Executive Director Victoria Keith Ryan said Roundtable participants were unanimous in calling for regional Victoria to be treated as an important part of the state’s housing and economic strategy, not an afterthought.
“One in four Victorians live in regional communities, yet too often policy and funding decisions fail to reflect that reality,” Mr Ryan said.
“If the next Victorian Government is serious about solving the housing crisis, it must ensure regional Victoria receives its fair share - policies and infrastructure funding commensurate with its population and its contribution to the state.”
Mr Ryan said it is encouraging that the Victorian Liberal Party has recognised this, recently announcing that a future Wilson-O'Brien Liberal and Nationals Government would deliver regional Victoria its fair share of infrastructure funding with a new 25 per cent Fair Share Guarantee.
“HIA members at today’s Roundtable made it clear that regional Victoria will continue to struggle to meet its housing challenges unless skilled labour and land supply shortages are addressed.
Mr Ryan said builders are ready to do more but are being held back.
“Regional builders are telling us they want to deliver more homes, employ more apprentices and invest in their businesses, but they continue to face planning headwinds, problems getting access to shovel-ready land and workforce shortages,” he said.
“Communities like Wodonga are attracting families, workers and businesses, but that growth can only continue if policy makers back it with the housing, infrastructure and services needed to support it.”
Mr Ryan said the message from industry across regional Victoria was consistent and urgent.
“Builders want to build, but they need governments to remove the barriers standing in their way,” Mr Ryan said.
“If we are serious about improving affordability and meeting the state’s housing needs – now and into the future - we need policies that make it easier to deliver housing, not more difficult.
“The home builders at today’s Roundtable are the people who make things happen. They are the ones building homes, employing local workers and supporting regional economies every day,” he said.
“Their experience should shape the policies that determine whether Victoria can meet its future housing needs.”
HIA’s Victorian Election Policy Agenda, Builders Want to Build, calls on all parties to commit to reducing regulatory burdens on builders, lowering property taxes, expanding land supply, fast-tracking planning approvals, and investing in the construction workforce to foster housing growth across Victoria.
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