Chief Executive | Federal Housing Minister riding the red tape tiger

Be still my enthusiastic mind.

Clare O’Neil’s red tape reduction salvos over the long weekend are a first for a Federal Housing Minister: 

‘There is a lot of work that we’re all going to need to do in the next three years, and I’d include the Commonwealth in that. None of this is an attack on the states. We’ve all been a part of this problem, and we all need to be a part of the solution…’ 

‘All three levels of government, over a 40-year period, have created a thicket of regulation which is giving the distinct impression to builders around the country that we don’t want them to build any more homes. And that is not the case.’

Is it ‘too silly for words’ gaslighting as opposite number Senator Bragg would have it in reply?

‘Labor is the red tape champion: last parliament, Labor enacted 1500 new regulations in the treasury and infrastructure portfolios where housing policy resides. Labor’s killing the dream’ – Senator Bragg.

I’m not sure that is the whole story.

Yes, the ALP government and preceding Coalition governments presided over a growing thicket of regulation. In FIRB and ACCC’s ever more costly and delaying approaches to completely safe, not anti-competitive institutional property investment – in all forms of property assets that help our growing cities (think industrial, commercial and living sectors).

Neither have moved far enough on vanilla environmental approvals or the CFMEU over the past decade.

But no. This Minister, a year in the job next month, with the handbrake of a federal election in between, is showing an understanding of the costs and delay project proponents experience in Australia’s ever less productive planning regimes.

Off the lowest of low bases, aspiring to multi-state, government process and outcomes improvements are welcome. The same approach on housing targets has already stirred more, synchronised, state efforts at planning reform than we would otherwise have seen this century.

Let us keep an open mind about an unashamedly ambitious Ministerial approach.

It will at least flush out the recalcitrants.

Leaders in Canberra

Great to be in Canberra for Property Leaders’ Summit last week with leaders of our industry.

Two days filled with strategic discussions about the future of our industry capped off by welcoming Sam Tarascio Snr into the Australian Property Hall of Fame.

From arriving aged five and sans English in Victoria Dock in 1950, Sam Snr has built a multi-billion-dollar national property organisation with his tremendous family that is renowned for excellence.

Bravo Sam Snr.