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{{propApi.successMessage}} {{region}} Change locationHousing industry meets decision to continue lockdown with anger and disappointment
Housing industry meets decision to continue lockdown with anger and disappointment
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The Housing Industry Association (HIA) is expressing both disappointment and anger on behalf of the thousands of small businesses in the ACT building and construction industry that will be impacted by the decision to delay reopening of residential building sites, while allowing large sites including government projects to reopen next week.
“The last two weeks has been very challenging for the industry. Builders and trade people working from home is not an option, and when the industry is not working, people are not getting paid,” said Greg Weller, HIA Executive Director ACT/Southern NSW.
“Not only has this taken a toll on builders and tradespeople, there are many Canberrans waiting to get into their new homes that are now under financial stress, or feeling pressure to move out of their existing accommodation.
“It is incredibly disappointing that the ACT Government has given a blessing to large civil and commercial sites to reopen from next week, but has left the small business in housing out in the cold.
“HIA in good faith has accepted the initial shutdown, despite its challenges and we have worked with the Government to outline a simple, and what we believe would be an effective and safe pathway, to reopen small scale residential building sites.
“HIA’s plan accepted reduced numbers of workers on sites and the adoption of all the same COVID safety measures now proposed for large sites. Today’s announcement comes as a surprise and a great disappointment.
“If some building sites can open safely, then why can’t others? Detached home building projects operate predominantly outdoors and in open spaces, and only require minimal numbers of people to be on site at any one time.
“To suggest that a large commercial sites which have hundreds of workers attend on a daily basis can operate with a lower risk than detached home building with three or four people is just non sensical.
“The residential building industry in the ACT and across Australia has had an exceptional record of operating safely throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“No other jurisdiction has locked down home building in this way for this length of time, and there has been no evidence that the industry has been a source of transmission,” concluded Mr Weller.
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Third party review for structural designs introduced
Northern Territory government announced that any significant and complex building work that requires building approval will need to have its structural design reviewed.
Scarcity of residential land sees prices surge
A significant increase in the price of land indicates that supply is not keeping pace with demand
Pandemic drives ‘super cycle’ of housing demand
Sales of new detached homes increased by a further 11.3 per cent in December.
Record year for new homes starts
More detached homes commenced construction in the 12 months to September 2021 than in any previous period,