Maroc - TIMBERBIZ.COM.AU - A La Une - 15/Dec 20:35

Housing Infrastructure Program can support 500,000 new homes

The Housing Industry Association has welcomed the Federal Coalition’s commitment to invest in supporting growth and delivery of housing across regional Australia through its $5 billion Housing Infrastructure Program. Source: Timberbiz HIA Chief Executive Industry & Policy, Simon Croft said the targeted investment towards ‘last mile’ infrastructure had the capacity to support 500,000 new homes across the country, including a targeted 30 per cent allocation for regional, rural, and remote areas. Mr Croft was speaking at a HIA Regional Housing Forum in Bendigo, where Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Senator Bridget McKenzie, announced the plan, which, should the Coalition win government at the next election, would see substantial investment in access roads, water, sewerage, and power to support shovel-ready housing projects. “Housing forums like the one we are holding today are important. The voice of regional Australia needs to come to the fore and get a seat at the table on key decision-making processes as these communities continue to grow and expand,” Mr Croft said. “(The) announcement to allocate 30% of the proposed $5 billion dollars to the regions is a good step in addressing the critical housing shortages facing regional Australians,” Mr Croft said. “The number of Australians moving from cities to the regions continues to grow, and this trend is expected to increase in the coming years. Currently, 8.5 million Australians or one third of the population are now living in regional Australia. “Unfortunately, the housing shortages being witnessed in capital cities are even worse across nearly every regional town in Australia. “Three key factors, hampering the delivery of more housing in regional Australia is access to shovel (build) ready land, investment in necessary enabling infrastructure for new housing estates and staff shortages in regional councils to process planning approvals,” he said. “Therefore, HIA welcomes well targeted policies that aim to boost supply and ease housing pressures by tackling construction costs and roadblocks to delivering more homes for Australians. “Practical measures such as those announced today to unlock housing supply and get projects shovel ready sooner are critical to ensuring the residential building industry can meet increased demand and support greater housing delivery across the country.”