Productivity Commission’s Housing Supply report proves it’s time for action

28 July 2026

Master Builders Australia welcomes the Productivity Commission’s interim findings on housing supply regulation, saying the report confirms the building and construction industry’s ongoing advocacy.

The Commission finds Australia does not build enough homes in the areas where people want to live and that boosting housing supply is essential to improving affordability. Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn said the report revealed no surprises for builders and it reinforces the need for governments to return to a pro-housing supply agenda.

“The Productivity Commission’s interim findings reinforce what builders already know. Excessive regulation, infrastructure bottlenecks and poor housing planning are holding back supply.

“Master Builders supports the four best practice principles within the interim report and joins the Commission in calling for governments to adopt a ‘build mindset’.

“We look forward to the final report and thank the Commission for their work, but governments already have a significant body of evidence about what is preventing homes from being built. What Australians need now is action that improves project feasibility, reduces red tape, coordinates infrastructure, unlocks investment and gets more homes built faster.

“Moving demand around will not deliver more homes. In fact, recent tax policies do exactly the opposite and reduce new housing supply by the Government’s own estimates.

“Governments also have a responsibility to deliver the infrastructure and non-residential buildings needed to support our growing country, and they have a critical role to play in unlocking land for housing. If we are serious about improving affordability, every level of government must commit to a new era of building more, faster and better,” said Ms Wawn.

The report identifies several priority reforms including:

• Relaxing land-use controls to enable more housing supply
• Better coordinating infrastructure delivery with housing development
• Streamlining approval processes to reduce delays and costs
• Improving developer contribution frameworks to make them simpler, more transparent, consistent and efficient.

Media contact: Dylan Hafey, Adviser, Media & Government Relations

0497 330 064 | dylan.hafey@masterbuilders.com.au