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{{propApi.successMessage}} {{region}} Change locationStatement from HIA regarding ongoing lockdown and safety
Statement from HIA regarding ongoing lockdown and safety
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The Housing Industry Association (HIA) fundamentally rejects this approach, as we argue that detached housing construction and renovations have operated safely across the nation and responded quickly to the risk of COVID last year. I have attached for your benefit, an outline of the kind of measures that are, and have been in place in other jurisdictions, and that we proposed to the ACT Government in week 1 of this lockdown.
We don’t accept the characterisation by the Chief Minister that the current approach is based on risk, as residential sites have proved their capacity to operate safely throughout the pandemic. Last week the ACT Government released a set of guidelines for the reopening of sites. In it, the government has made the following statement:
Large and complex building and construction sites present a greater risk of coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission in the event of a confirmed case on site. Larger sites involve more workers on site, high volumes of workers working in reasonably close proximity to one another, or workplaces which may have difficulty in confining workers and teams to specific areas of the site, site amenities and other common areas.
This statement clearly shows the difference between a large commercial site and detached housing. HIA is not arguing that it is a choice of one sector or another –all sites need to manage the risk of COVID and housing sites present a much lower risk of transmission on site with much fewer workers.
We are stating simply that it can’t be justified that one sector is ‘safer’ than another, and should therefore be given preferential treatment to reopen. Home owners and home builders need certainty now about when they can get back on site.
HIA calls on the ACT Government to reopen all sites on Friday 3 September.
For more information please contact:
Signs of a pulse in Canberra building approvals
Building approvals for dwellings in Canberra for the year to the end of March have shown some signs that the market may be turning the corner but still remain well below government targets.
Low volume of home building but labour shortages linger
“Australia has just seen its two weakest years of new home commencements in over a decade, meaning these ongoing shortages of skilled trades are not being caused by home building activity,” stated HIA Chief Economist, Tim Reardon.
Building approvals strengthen in March quarter
“There were 48,620 new homes approved for construction in the first quarter of 2025, up by 20.8 per cent on a year earlier,” stated HIA Senior Economist Tom Devitt.
New Government must put housing as first order of business
“The Housing Industry Association (HIA) calls on the newly elected Federal Government to make housing a first-order priority from day one, any delay or political grandstanding will only deepen the nation’s housing crisis,” HIA Managing Director Jocelyn Martin said today.