Civil Contractors Federation Australia CEO, Nicholas Proud said today, “the Civil Contractors Federation (CCF) commends the release of the $5b Housing Enabling Infrastructure policy from the Federal Opposition.
“You cannot spend a dollar on housing until you spend a dollar on housing enabling civil infrastructure. “This simply means that water, sewerage, energy, roads, subdivisions must come first for new housing estates, and infrastructure capacity upgrades are required in brownfield areas. “It is a major reason housing supply is at decade lows.
“Housing commencements having dropped from 217,000 home starts in the year to December 2021 to 158,000 starts in the year ending June 2024 and whilst many other forms of stimulus have been tried, housing enabling civil infrastructure will be key to unblocking housing supply pipelines and unlocking doors.
“The cost of infrastructure when it is built simply gets handed down the line to the people who can least afford it – our kids and low-income earners.
“This policy is not new, but it is highly effective. Post World War 2, governments competed to provide housing enabling infrastructure to attract migrants and to make housing creation simple and less costly, since that time we have shifted infrastructure costs onto the end consumer.
“The last kilometre of housing enabling civil infrastructure is a major cost, it causes disputes blocking activation of land and infill development.
“This supply blocker and affordability barrier cost can be offloaded from those looking to purchase a home and this $5b housing enabling infrastructure policy which seeks to open up housing options is a major missing link to why homes starts have collapsed and how housing can be recommenced.
For further information:
Rowan Carter, Director of Policy, and Advocacy, Civil Contractors Federation National, 0407 896 862
