Today marks the official start of the country's five-year target of delivering 1.2 million new homes, with the Property Council of Australia 'firing the starter's gun' on the race to the gold medal number agreed by all governments under the National Housing Accord.
ABS data shows only 963,064 homes were completed over the last five years. Property Council Chief Executive Mike Zorbas said we need to lift our games for Australia to nab a podium finish across homes to sell and rent, retirement living and purpose-built student communities and social housing.
"Today is a very big day – hopefully the start of 1.2 million well located homes rising out of the ground by 2029," Mr Zorbas said.
"Australia is land rich but government taxes on housing, slow planning systems, high borrowing and materials costs and dire skill shortages make us wooden spooners on housing supply.
"Led by the federal government, we are finally starting a coordinated national and state planning effort after decades of neglect.
"We need all our politicians to have an Olympian mindset. We need our 1.2 million home target and we need to apply increasing amounts of federal money, state resources and an attitude of 'yes' to hit that target.
"We need to move from 170,000 homes a year now into the high 200,000s in order to average 240,000 over the five years.
"If we want to hear our national anthem on the podium in 2029 we need a housing partnership involving all levels of government, industry and the community.
"Over the next five years, we will be offering industry's help to governments and parliaments that are committed to these targets and calling out those that are not. Planning gridlocks, harmful taxes and political grandstanding will not get us the housing we so desperately need.
"Our message to parliaments today is clear: bring your best game, Australia is watching," he said.
