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The Housing Industry Association will be appearing at 2.00pm today before the Standing Committee on Environment, Planning, Transport and City Services inquiry into the Planning (Territory Priority Projects) Amendment Bill.
“If public housing developments are being unfairly held up by appeals and deserve a fix, then comparable private housing developments should be treated the same way,” said Greg Weller, HIA Executive Director ACT & Southern NSW.
“We are in a housing crisis. There should not be avoidable and unnecessary hurdles being put in the way of new housing projects of any type.
“If it is unfair to members of the community on a public housing waiting list to have their future residence delayed by a vexatious appeal, then it is equally unfair to a private owner.
"It is disappointing how much misinformation there has been around this Bill. This would not mean there is no process or scrutiny on developments, far from it.
“Applications will still be notified, and the community will still be able to participate in the development approval process.
“But it is reasonable for someone investing in additional housing stock for Canberra to expect that once their project has been through a rigorous planning approval process that the umpire's decision is final, and they can get on with work.
“We must have trust in our planning authority and not let tribunals or courts become a de facto approvals process. That trust in our professional planning staff is warranted, as decisions are transparent with reasons published.
“The ACT has just recorded the worst building approval numbers for detached homes in 55 years, with only 680 dwellings approved in 2024. The even bigger story is apartments and townhouses, with only 1,500 multi-residential dwellings approved in 2024. This is the lowest number of approvals since 2009.
“Every new home that gets built is important,” concluded Mr Weller.
“The RBA decision to keep interest rates in restrictive territory today will not stop the improvement in leading indicators of future home building,” stated HIA Senior Economist Tom Devitt.
In mid-June 2025, the NSW Premier released the Housing and Productivity Contribution (HPC) Works-in-Kind Guideline for public consultation.
Today the State Government announced proposed changes to the regulatory powers to investigate registered builders who may be unable to meet the financial requirements of registration. The announcement also included a long-awaited review of the Home Building Contracts Act 1991 (HBCA) and associated laws.
Housing Industry Association welcomes today’s announcement by the Cook Labor Government to review key aspects of the home building contracts legislation and provide the building regulator with additional powers to work with builders in distress.