11 December 2024
New figures showing Queensland housing approvals are heading in the wrong direction highlight the importance of a regulatory review of industry to help boost productivity.
After a couple of months of good gains, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows that total approvals across the state dropped back again in October, both for houses (-11.9 per cent) and units (-18.2 per cent). There is better news in the three-month trend which shows a slight climb of +3.8 per cent. Again, we have another set of results where the government target of 50,000 new dwellings per year in Queensland remains out of reach, with only 35,033 approved in the preceding 12 months.
There are regions that are bucking the trend, with Mackay & Whitsunday (+28.6 per cent), Wide Bay Burnett (+25.9 per cent), and Central Queensland (+16.5 per cent) continuing to perform strongly in the three months to October. Greater Brisbane (+13.4 per cent) and Far North Queensland (+8.2 per cent) were also on the up, while the Sunshine Coast (-16.2 per cent) and North Queensland (-22.4 per cent) experienced a decline in approvals.
Both the Gold Coast (404 dwellings) and Toowoomba (132 dwellings) regions turned in a strong result for the month of October, but not yet enough to move the three-month trend into the black.
It comes as Master Builders has lodged its submission in support of the Crisafulli Government’s Queensland Productivity Commission Bill 2024
“We have hailed the re-establishment of the Queensland Productivity Commission as a win, as we continue to advocate for the slashing of the red tape hampering construction,” Master Builders CEO Paul Bidwell said.
“While these ABS figures are largely positive across the three-month trend, any fall in housing supply is unacceptable in the face of a housing crisis. That’s why it is crucial government works with industry to clear the way for us to get on with building the homes and community projects we need.
“Our submission on the Commission again welcomes the state government’s commitment to a comprehensive review of the regulation of our industry as its first order of business.
“The existing freeze on the Best Practice Industry Conditions (BPIC) on new state government projects was an important step. We’re calling for the Commission to examine the benefit of scrapping BPIC altogether to deliver more projects safely, on time and on budget.
“Our submission calls for the Bill to include provisions allowing for confidential evidence to be put forward as the Commission examines the impact of BPIC and the behaviour and tactics of unions.
“Industry stakeholders may be fearful of retribution from unions for providing such evidence, making it vital that strong protections are put in place to protect witnesses.
“These steps are key to ensuring that any recommendations the Commission makes on improving productivity are successful, and change can be swiftly implemented.”
Read Master Builders’ submission on the Queensland Productivity Commission Bill 2024.
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