Peak building and construction industry association Master Builders Australia today backs new Federal Opposition housing policies to boost housing supply.

As the only industry association representing the residential, commercial, and civil construction sectors, Master Builders acutely understands the extent to which all three sectors have a role in ending the housing crisis.

Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton announced an elected Coalition Government will commit $5 billion, through a new Housing Infrastructure Programme, to enable critical infrastructure.

Master Builders CEO Denita Wawn said: “We know that the key to ending the housing crisis is unlocking new housing supply, but there are a lot of barriers standing in the way of rolling projects out.”

“Over the last five years, construction costs have increased by 40 per cent and build times have blown out by up to 47 per cent.

“Labour shortages, access to water, sewerage, power and roads, union disruption, and red tape all significantly impact the final project cost and build time.”

The Opposition also announced a freeze to the National Construction Code (NCC) alongside a review of NCC changes to identify options to further reduce red tape.

“A pause on unnecessary code changes that increase cost and complexity without meaningful improvements in standards is a positive step,” Ms Wawn added.

“The proposed review will provide an opportunity for industry to be heard on perverse outcomes of recent changes that were introduced without proper consideration of the evidence and the implementation hurdles facing builders,” Ms Wawn concluded.