Builders, suppliers, tradies, local leaders and HIA members met in Smithton today to talk about one thing: getting more homes built in the North-West.
HIA Executive Director Benjamin Price said the roundtable came at an important time for the Circular Head region, with new home approvals sitting well below where the region has been in the past.
“A few years ago Circular Head was approving around 15 new homes a year. Today that figure is much lower, with multiple quarters reporting zero new dwellings” Mr Price said.
“The demand for housing hasn’t gone away, so the task now is pulling the levers that get building activity back up.”
“The people who build the homes and supply the materials were in the room with the people who make the decisions. That’s exactly the group you need to turn this around.”
Mr Price said the challenges facing Circular Head reflected a national pattern set out in HIA’s Housing the Regions report, which found nearly one in three Australians now live in regional areas, a share that is growing as people move out of the capitals. “Regional Australia is where the growth is happening, but the housing supply hasn’t kept pace,” Mr Price said. “The report is clear on why, with limited access to shovel-ready land, a lack of enabling infrastructure like water and sewerage, and worker shortages right across construction, including the council staff needed to process approvals.”
“None of that is unique to the North-West, but it’s felt sharply here. The fixes are practical: release land, fund the infrastructure that makes it build-ready, streamline planning approvals, and back the local workforce. Get those settings right and the homes follow.”
Labor Leader the Hon Josh Willie MP attended the roundtable and spoke on the importance of housing for Tasmanian communities. “Housing is economic infrastructure that builds strong communities. We want the NorthWest to grow and thrive, so that means working together to increase housing supply to give families, young people and workers the opportunity to build a future here,” Mr Willie said.
Mr Price welcomed the engagement across the political spectrum. “Housing supply isn’t a partisan issue, and no one fixes it alone. It takes industry, communities and government at every level working together, and that’s exactly what today was about.”
HIA will continue bringing industry and community together across the state to push for the reforms and investment needed to lift housing supply.
HIA’s Housing the Regions report is available at hia.com.au
