Maroc - TIMBERBIZ.COM.AU - A La Une - 06/Mar 22:28

Despite a modest improvement a housing shortfall remains

Approvals for new homes in Australia increased in January, a month before the cash rate was cut. The Australian Bureau of Statistics released its monthly building approvals data for January 2025 for detached houses and multi-units covering all states and territories. Source: Timberbiz There were 16,580 residential dwellings approved in January which was 6.3% higher compared with December 2024. Total dwelling approvals in the three months to January 2025 were 14.0% higher compared with the same quarter in the previous year, with detached approvals up by 6.1% and multi-units up by 27.3%. “These increases in approvals signal positive momentum heading into the new year, with households slowly returning to the market and building new homes,” HIA economist Maurice Tapang said. “New housing approvals had been strengthening on the back of low levels of unemployment, recovering real wages and ongoing strong population growth, even before the first interest rate cut was delivered,” he said. “The rise in detached house approvals has been geographically dispersed, with Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia driving the national gain.” Detached house approvals in in the three months to January 2025 were up in Western Australia by 29.2% compared with the same time in 2024 in South Australia up by 27.5%, and in Queensland up by 13.9%. House approvals in New South Wales fell by 9.5% over the same period because of the high cost of land and delivering new housing, particularly in Sydney. “Victoria continued to see a flat result, with house approvals down by 0.9% over the same period,” Mr Tapang said. “This does not bode well for meeting ongoing growth in demand.” Multi-unit approvals have increased from very weak levels. Mr Tapang said that this needed to double from the 12-year lows of recent years to meet housing targets but constraints on land, construction and investment remain barriers. “The rise in home building activity will be more evident in states and regions with lower land costs and lower taxes on new homes, while those with higher tax imposts will remain weak,” he said. “Despite modest improvements in housing approvals, Australia continues to face a significant shortfall in housing supply.” HIA is calling on the Australian Government in the lead-up to the Federal Election 2025 to help remove barriers to new housing supply. Detached house approvals in the three months to January 2025 were up by 29.2% compared to the previous year in Western Australia, followed by South Australia (+27.5%) and Queensland (+13.9%). The Northern Territory saw a large 86.5% increase over the same period, albeit off historically low levels. The other jurisdictions recorded declines, led by the Australian Capital Territory (-50.4%), followed by New South Wales (-9.5%), Tasmania (-7.0%) and Victoria (-0.9%).