Housing industry insights
Advocacy & policy
News & inspiration
Support & guidance
Member perks
Industry insurance
For your business
Apprentices
Building it right
Building materials & products
Managing your business
Managing your safety
Building your business
Other subjects
A rewarding career
Study with us
A job in the industry
Grow with us
Our podcasts
Our initiatives
Get involved
Awards
Awards winners
Industry events
Most popular products
Top categories
For your business
{{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 locationLocked out: Tasmania building half the homes it needs as land supply fails
Locked out: Tasmania building half the homes it needs as land supply fails
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.
Locked Out: Fixing Tasmania's Land Supply Crisis finds Tasmania is the worst-performing state against the National Housing Accord. It built 2,456 homes last year against a target of 5,022, falling another 2,500 homes behind in a single year.
"Tasmania is building half the homes it needs, and the main reason is land," HIA Executive Director Tasmania Benjamin Price said.
"This isn't a failure of builders and it isn't a demand problem. It's a failure of a system that can't put a serviced block of land on the market."
The median residential block in Greater Hobart has gone from around $35,000 in 2001 to almost $300,000. Tasmanian lot prices have risen nine-fold over 25 years, against six-fold nationally, while construction costs rose three to four-fold.
"Everyone talks about building costs, which have gone up, but land has gone up far faster," Mr Price said.
"When prices are rising and sales are falling, that's not a demand surge, it's a supply shortage. And it means a generation of young Tasmanians are priced out before building work even starts."
The report finds land zoned for housing often can't be built on because there is no sewer, water or network capacity to connect it to, and the cost of fixing that is loaded onto buyers.
"In the middle of a housing crisis, the Government cannot tell you how much land is serviced, zoned and ready to build on. South Australia can, but we can't," Mr Price said.
"Land bounces between councils, the Planning Commission, TasWater, TasNetworks and the Land Titles Office. Nobody is in charge, nobody is accountable, and future homeowners pay for every delay."
PlanBuild Tasmania, announced nearly ten years ago, operates in just one of 29 councils, while its budget has blown out from $9.7 million to $12.8 million.
"South Australia has had a working statewide system since 2021. The Government should stop trying to reinvent the wheel," Mr Price said.
Even with the land, Tasmania doesn't have the workers. Meeting the housing target would need up to 27,900 residential workers, more than the state's entire construction workforce.
Locked Out sets out 15 reforms, including TasWater reform, local government amalgamations and a construction workforce strategy. HIA is calling on the Government to deliver five priorities within 12 months:
- A public land supply dashboard, based on South Australia's model.
- An Enabling Infrastructure Fund to service already-zoned land, based on Queensland's model.
- Scrap PlanBuild and license a proven statewide portal.
- Legislate Development Assessment Panels, with deemed approval when councils miss deadlines.
- Adopt the Improving Residential Standards recommendations.
"Every year we wait, another 2,500 Tasmanian households miss out on a home," Mr Price said.
The full report is available here.
For more information please contact:
Locked out: Tasmania building half the homes it needs as land supply fails
Tasmania has finished last on HIA's national Housing Scorecard, and a new Housing Industry Association report puts the blame squarely on a land supply system that is failing Tasmanians.
New rules add thousands to the cost of a new home as Tasmania falls years behind on housing
From today, every new home built in Tasmania must meet the full Livable Housing Design requirements. The Housing Industry Association says this adds thousands of dollars to the cost of building a home, at a time when Tasmanians can least afford it.
Rules for managing the risk of falls have changed - are you up to date?
Changes to Western Australia's requirements for managing the risks of falls will commence on 1 October 2026, introducing new expectations for builders, contractors and workers undertaking tasks where there is a risk of falling.
Livable Housing Design: final stage now in force
As of today, 1 October 2026, all new building work in Tasmania, unless exempt, must comply with all requirements of Part H8 Livable Housing Design of NCC Volume Two.