Australia’s Housing Starts Rise, but National Housing Accord Misses Early Targets

Australia’s Housing Starts Rise, but National Housing Accord Misses Early Targets

Australia: Australia’s National Housing Accord has reached its quarter-time mark as housing commencements and completions show mixed progress, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Total dwelling commencements rose 6.6% quarter-on-quarter to 48,778 in September 2025, with new private-sector house commencements increasing 6.9% to 28,845. However, completed private-sector house dwellings declined 5.1% year-on-year to 27,066, while completed private-sector dwellings other than houses fell 9.7% from September 2024 and 30.7% from June 2025. The total value of building work increased 3.8% to about USD 43.2 billion in September.

The September 2025 data marks the first 15 months of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s National Housing Accord, which began in July 2024, with a pro-rata completion target of 300,000 homes, but only 218,974 dwellings were completed nationwide. In New South Wales, commencements reached 47,198 in the year to September 2025, up by 4,186 year-on-year, while quarterly completions rose to 13,057, the highest since March 2021, though the state still fell short of its 94,000-home target with just 55,557 completions. Industry leaders cited inadequate federal support for housing-enabling infrastructure and high state taxes as key challenges, while Queensland officials pointed to declining construction productivity affecting housing supply.

Source: Australia: Australia’s National Housing Accord has reached its quarter-time mark as housing commencements and completions show mixed progress, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Total dwelling commencements rose 6.6% quarter-on-quarter to 48,778 in September 2025, with new private-sector house commencements increasing 6.9% to 28,845. However, completed private-sector house dwellings declined 5.1% year-on-year to 27,066, while completed private-sector dwellings other than houses fell 9.7% from September 2024 and 30.7% from June 2025. The total value of building work increased 3.8% to about USD 43.2 billion in September.

The September 2025 data marks the first 15 months of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s National Housing Accord, which began in July 2024, with a pro-rata completion target of 300,000 homes, but only 218,974 dwellings were completed nationwide. In New South Wales, commencements reached 47,198 in the year to September 2025, up by 4,186 year-on-year, while quarterly completions rose to 13,057, the highest since March 2021, though the state still fell short of its 94,000-home target with just 55,557 completions. Industry leaders cited inadequate federal support for housing-enabling infrastructure and high state taxes as key challenges, while Queensland officials pointed to declining construction productivity affecting housing supply.

Source: news.com.au