Governments don't build homes; private sector does. #Builders, #developers, #consultants and #contractors comprising the #development industry are the ones that actually (try to) do the job of creating more homes.
At best, governments assist with enabling industry to deliver more #housing. Since the #housingaccord of October 2022, instead of steely focus on unlocking supply barriers, adopting industry led solutions, governments across all levels, particulary in the two biggest states, have failed to deal with the real issues.
NSW and VIC continue to prioritise the wrong solutions, pretending streamlining planning for costly high-density development in metro areas is the solution to greater choice and affordability. It will not be #feasible at scale for a long time.
They have slowed or ignored greenfield, regional and middle-ring land supply, instead captured by utopian planning ideals. Every "fast track" process has ignored the opportunity those projects bring.
Meanwhile SA and WA have better identifed the land supply issue, though they have other constraints. QLD is (correctly) investing $2B in new infrastructure to unlock more land.
I have been criticised for disparaging the housing accord target. I was one of the first to publicly state that building 1.2m homes was a fantasy in the current economic and fiscal climate.
The same applies for the Victorian Government's 800,000 over 10 year #housingstatement target, and 377,000 in 5 years from NSW Government.
We need housing targets to hold decision makers to account. I'm 110% for having housing targets at national, state and local levels, and support the Housing Accord in principle.
But what I've consistently pointed out is the actions taken between the housing accord announcement and 1 July 2024 commencement were the wrong ones to get us there. Ergo, we will be miles from meeting the 1.2m goal by mid-2029, and the data tells that story.
I am not a politician, so will not pretend the measures taken and current policy priorities are going to deliver the result. It's head in the sand at the moment.
Until this changes, we will only go further backwards against delivering what we need which will hurt more Australians across the board. And if I'm right, the decision makers who set these targets without taking the right actions should be held to account for the failure to deliver.
I'll also be the first to point out when the right things are done. I'm just not holding my breath anyone will admit they are on the wrong path.