Friday 9 May 2025
MEDIA RELEASE
ACT Needs a Housing Taskforce to Turn Approvals into Homes
The Property Council has called on the ACT Government to establish a new Housing Taskforce, based on the successful NSW model, to fast-track approved housing and resolve the logjams preventing new homes from being built.
Launching the Property Council ACT & Capital Region’s Pre-Budget Submission today, Executive Director Ashlee Berry said while building approvals rose in March, too many projects will continue to stall before completion without a dedicated unit inside government to tackle persistent delays.
“In its first 6 months the NSW Housing Taskforce was able to drive progress for applications for over 30,000 new homes. The ACT must follow the lead of NSW and create its own Housing Taskforce to get more homes moving faster,” Ms Berry said.
“It’s encouraging to see building approvals lift in March, but approvals alone won’t house a growing population. Over the past decade, nearly 5,000 homes that were either approved or started still haven’t been completed. That’s the gap we need to close,” she said.
In the decade since 2015, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data shows:
- 49,661 dwellings have been approved in the ACT;
- 48,482 have commenced;
- Only 44,824 have been completed.
“That means more than 1,100 approved homes never made it to site, and another 3,600 started but haven’t yet finished. We need to fix the system that’s stalling delivery,” Ms Berry said.
“The NSW Housing Taskforce model brings together government agencies to clear post-approval delays – the sorts of infrastructure and compliance hold-ups that quietly kill housing projects. We need the same kind of proactive problem-solving approach here in the ACT.”
Ms Berry said the ACT Government’s planned Development Solutions unit, proposed as part of the public service shake up from 1 July, was a significant and positive step in the right direction, but that broader cultural and systemic change was needed to coordinate delivery across agencies and unblock infrastructure, utility, and compliance delays.
“The Development Solutions unit could be a strong and effective part of the answer, and we look forward to working with the new City and Environment Directorate post its July implementation.
“What’s clear though is that we need more than a new front door into government – we need a delivery-focused team inside government that can actively walk projects through the maze and resolve the real delivery issues,” she said.
The call comes as part of the Property Council’s 2025–26 ACT Budget Submission, which outlines a suite of practical reforms to boost housing supply, reduce costs, and support a more vibrant, liveable Canberra.
Key recommendations include:
- Unlocking 60,000 new homes through smarter zoning and missing middle reforms
- Supporting more build-to-rent housing with better tax and planning rules
- Driving investment in Civic to restore Canberra’s heart
- Delivering critical infrastructure like the Convention Centre and Stadium
- Creating sustainable buildings with better incentives for retrofits and electrification
“The ACT is growing, and we need to grow with it. That means making the system work for people and investors – not holding up good projects with red tape,” Ms Berry said.
“Property is the engine of the ACT economy. One in seven jobs depends on it. The best thing the government can do in this Budget is to partner with industry to fix the system, unlock supply and invest in our city’s future.”
The Property Council ACT & Capital Region’s Economic Outlook on 29 May 2025 will feature insights on what’s next for interest rates, inflation, housing, and investment from new CBA Chief Economist Luke Yeaman and Scyne Managing Director Adrian King. Visit the website for more details.
ENDS
Media: Andrew Parkinson | 0404 615 596 | [email protected]