Housing policies in SA and WA lead national rankings despite missing targets

South Australia and Western Australia have topped a national assessment of housing policies, though both states remain short of meeting their federal housing targets.

The Housing Industry Association’s (HIA) Housing Policy Scoreboard evaluated state and territory housing announcements over the past two years.

“South Australia and Western Australia both received significantly higher rankings, with decisive planning reforms, streamlined development approvals, and a strong focus on land release,” HIA Senior Economist Matt King said.

However, neither state is currently on track to build enough homes to meet their share of the federal government’s 1.2 million homes target.

The HIA assessment measured jurisdictions against ten key housing supply policies aimed at accelerating housing supply and meeting National Housing Accord commitments.

The Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory received the lowest scores, at 4/10 and 5/10 respectively.

“Planning approvals need to be quicker in order to reduce the price of shovel ready land,” King said.

“The administrative processes required to bring land to market add significantly to the cost of a new house and land package, and new apartments.”

King said it was important to distinguish between genuine supply-boosting policies and those that may disguise new taxes.

The report highlighted the need for wide-ranging reforms across planning, zoning, financial settings, taxation and skills development.