In the face of strong economic growth and net migration, new Property Council WA modelling shows Western Australia’s housing deficit will grow by nearly 25,000 homes by the end of 2027.
The modelling is being released in the Property Council WA’s State Election Platform, which is currently being presented to the state’s political parties and members of Parliament ahead of the 2025 WA election.
Policy recommendations in the Platform centre around initiatives to continue to boost housing supply, bolstering the state’s workforce, and future-proofing WA’s economy.
Boosting the construction of apartments, build-to-rent projects and dedicated student accommodation have been identified in the Property Council WA’s State Election Platform as viable strategies to boost housing stocks.
Property Council of Australia WA Interim Executive Director Emily Young said based on Treasury’s population forecast and the property industry’s current capacity, WA’s housing deficit is set to grow by nearly another 25,000 homes by the end of 2027.
“WA has experienced strong growth, but the supply of new housing hasn’t kept pace,” she said.
“Adequate housing delivery will play a pivotal role in unlocking the state’s economic potential and be a linchpin future economic success.
“We need the incoming government to be bold and ambitious with policy to help ease the state’s housing shortage.
“To give us a fighting chance to house every West Australia, we specifically need to turbocharge the construction of new apartments, build-to-rent projects and dedicated student housing.
“Reducing tax burdens will also support affordability and new supply. Suspending land taxes on projects under construction, expanding Keystart eligibility and underwriting apartment presales are policies that could be introduced today to immediately get more homes built quicker.
“Boosting housing availability benefits all industries. By strengthening housing security we will improve investment attraction and drive essential productivity gains for overall prosperity.
“To tackle the challenges confronting WA, a bold and comprehensive approach is needed. That’s why we’ve put forward nearly 40 policy recommendations to the state’s political parties.”