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NewsHIA Affordability Index Hits Record Low in June Quarter 2026. Falling Established Prices Do Not Make New Homes Cheaper to Build.
HIA released its Affordability Report on Friday 4 September 2026. Senior Economist Tom Devitt said the HIA Affordability Index deteriorated 3.1 per cent in the June quarter 2026 — the least affordable reading since HIA records began in 1994. It now takes 1.9 average incomes to comfortably service a mortgage on a median dwelling in the capitals and 1.8 in the regions. Every market deteriorated in the quarter. Devitt warned three consecutive monthly declines in new-home contracts and that falling established prices do not cut land, labour or materials costs. Recast feasibility and the deposit book before you treat a softer secondary market as build-cost relief.
6 Sept 2026PSO Says Australia Needs 72,000 More Energy Trades by 2030. Data Centres Alone Want 13,000 — Recast Your Electrical Book Against Housing.
ABC reported on 2 September 2026 that the Powering Skills Organisation's latest report lifts the energy-trades shortage forecast to 72,000 electricians, technicians and related trades by 2030 — up from 42,000 in last year's print. Treasury-linked data centre construction is put at about $150 billion by decade end and needs a further 13,000 energy trades. NECA CEO Stewart Joyce said housing will feel the squeeze without coordinated labour planning. Recast crew and quote rates before hyperscale books empty your electrical bench.
Read moreJuly Approvals Fell 3.6% to 17,687. Recast Crew Off June's House Print — Private Houses Dropped in Every State.
ABS Building Approvals for July 2026, released 1 September 2026 at 11:30am AEST, put seasonally adjusted total dwellings at 17,687, down 3.6 per cent. Private sector houses fell 4.2 per cent to 10,199 across every published state. Private other dwellings fell 0.4 per cent to 7,119. Head of construction statistics Daniel Rossi said the house fall came off June, which had the most private houses approved since September 2021. HIA Senior Economist Tom Devitt said three-month approvals are still 8.3 per cent higher than a year earlier.
Read moreQueensland Recovery Is Pushed to Late 2027. Recast Crew Off March Demand — HIA Says Commencements Do Not Lift Until Then.
HIA Queensland Executive Director Michael Roberts, speaking Monday 31 August 2026 after the Economic and Industry Outlook, said strong underlying demand is colliding with restrictive finance, weaker confidence and policy changes. March quarter detached starts fell 6.7 per cent to 5,930 and multi-unit 8.0 per cent to 4,940. HIA does not expect dwelling commencements to begin recovering until late 2027.
Read moreVictoria's Recovery Is Delayed a Year. Recast Crew Off 60,000 Homes in 2026 — HIA Says You Will Not Cross That Until 2028.
HIA Victoria Executive Director Keith Ryan, speaking Monday 31 August 2026 after the Economic and Industry Outlook, said federal housing-tax and SMSF-borrowing changes delay Victoria's home building recovery at least another year. Victoria commenced 56,630 homes in 2025. The 60,000 threshold is now not expected until 2028. The state's 80,000-a-year target is not expected to be met in any single year.
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NewsAustralia Will Fall 186,000 Homes Short of the Accord. If You Staff Off Rising Commencements Alone, Recast Against the Gap.
HIA's Economic and Industry Outlook, released Friday 28 August 2026, still sees commencements rising in 2027 and 2028 — but slower, after federal housing-tax and SMSF-borrowing changes. Chief Economist Tim Reardon puts Australia 186,000 homes short of the 1.2 million Housing Accord target. Recast crew, land bank and quote validity on that gap, not the year-on-year lift.
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NewsNew Home Sales Fell 3.7% in July — Third Straight Drop. If Your Deposit Book Relied on Q2 Momentum, Recast It Now.
HIA's July survey of large-volume home builders shows sales down another 3.7 per cent, the third consecutive monthly fall. Queensland led the monthly decline at 10.9 per cent. Year-on-year sales are still up, but the quarterly turn is the signal for your winter pipeline.
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NewsDetached Approvals Down 7.4% in the December Quarter. If Your Forward Orders Are Flat, You're Already Behind the Turn.
Building approvals lag commencements by three to six months, so the December quarter numbers tell you what your pipeline will look like in winter. The detached and multi-res segments are splitting hard. If you're still quoting like it's a rising market, your deposit conversion and working capital are about to collide.
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RegulationSix Jurisdictions, Six NCC Timelines. If You Quote Nationally, You're Already Non-Compliant Somewhere.
The NCC's staged adoption means the same detail is legal in Queensland and non-compliant in Victoria. Builders working across borders—or quoting templates written for one state—are carrying silent risk. Make compliance a standing agenda item or wear the dispute cost.
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BusinessFixed-Price Contracts Put You on the Wrong Side of a $12,000 Timber Bill That Was $9,500 at Quote. Close That Gap or Wear It Every Time.
Material cost risk sits entirely with the builder in fixed-price residential work. The window between quote and order—often 60 to 90 days—is where margin disappears. Tighten validity periods, lock supplier prices early, or fund volatile inputs up front.
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Projects$146 Billion Committed Through 2028. Regional Builders Face a Labour Cost Spiral or a Pipeline — It Depends on What You Do in Q2.
Major projects [Infrastructure Australia's 2024 pipeline](https://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/map) are pulling trades off residential and light commercial sites at rates you can't match. But the same projects seed secondary demand — site prep, worker accommodation, supply — that tier-one contractors fill through local prequalified subs. If you're not on those panels by June, you're competing for margin with one hand tied.
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