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Date: 27 October 2025, 7.18am AEDT
Speakers: Denita Wawn, CEO Master Builders Australia
Topics: Build times and the National Housing Accord
E&OE
Natalie Barr, host Sunrise: Finally, a glimmer of hope for the housing crisis. For the first time in a decade, homes are being built quicker, taking 11 and a half months on average, down from about 12 and a half. It comes as the government hits pause on tougher building rules, labour shortages ease and pressure mounts on politicians to cut all the roadblocks holding back new housing supply. For more, we are joined by Denita Wawn, CEO of the Master Builders. Live in Canberra. Morning to you. We don’t often hear any good news about the housing crisis. There is hope on the horizon, though here?
Denita Wawn, CEO Master Builders Australia: That’s right, Nat. It’s really good news, and we hope this is green shoots for the housing industry. We understand that there is that need for homes, 1.2 million we’re trying to build over five years. That means we need to build nearly 250,000 homes a year, and we haven’t been doing that. And so this is great data to show that things are improving. We’ve also had the government, the building ministers, agree last week to pause any changes to the building code that also gives builders certainty as they go forward, to ensure that we can build for all Australians.
Host: Yes, so we’re still what, 50 or 60,000 a year behind? Labour shortages, are they starting to ease? And why?
Denita: Well, they are in some segments of the industry, but in others they aren’t. In particular, residential building. BuildSkills Australia estimates that we’re about 115,000 workers short to complete those 1.2 million homes. 80,000-odd of those are tradespeople. So we’re still short. It’s easing in some parts of the industry, but unfortunately, not in residential.
Host: Okay, let’s talk about Michelle Bullock’s comments, the RBA governor. She took an aim at stamp duty. She says it’s stopping people moving around, stopping people downsizing. It is so expensive to move in this country. What do you think about that?
Denita: Yeah, stamp duty really is a dampener on capacity for people to move around. We’ve been saying for decades now that stamp duty needs to be reduced, if not abolished. There was attempts during the introduction of the GST to abolish stamp duty, we implore all governments to really, seriously now, once and for all, consider the constraints that stamp duty has on mobility and for people to be able to got downsize and enable families to move into those larger family homes. It is a significant issue that needs to be finally addressed once and for all.
Host: So, do you mean abolish stamp duty on bigger houses so people can downsize, or do you mean people entering the market as well?
Denita: It’s everything. We know that stamp duty, whether it’s getting into the market or moving between your homes as your lifestyles change, curtails people’s buying decisions. And so we say that stamp duty needs to be reviewed. It needs to be preferably downsized, or even abolished. But the question is, well, what do taxes then mean as an alternative revenue/fundraising for government. So that is something that governments need to address. As I said it was supposed to be addressed when we had GST, but governments didn’t go ahead and reduce their stamp duty as much as was anticipated.
Host: Yeah, so the money’s got to come from somewhere, but we will put that to the government. Thank you very much for your time this morning.
Media contact:
Dee Zegarac
National Director, External Affairs and Engagement
0400 493 071
dee.zegarac@masterbuilders.com.au