Regional Housing Squeeze Deepens
Housing pressures in regional Australia continue to intensify, with industry groups warning that shortages are no longer just a capital-city story.
In regional New South Wales, builders report a familiar mix of problems: planning delays, high material costs, a shortage of serviced land and ongoing difficulty finding skilled trades.
A recent Housing Industry Association roundtable highlighted just how stretched many regional centres have become.
Net migration into regional NSW has surged as households chase lifestyle and relative affordability, yet local builders are struggling to bring new supply to market quickly enough. Approvals can take many months, and shortages in trades such as carpentry, bricklaying and electrical work are slowing delivery on the ground.
Nationally, policymakers are looking to the regions to help meet ambitious housing targets, but the gap between targets and on-the-ground capacity remains wide.
The industry is calling for coordinated planning reform, faster land release and more investment in training.
For investors, it reinforces the outlook of tight vacancies, firm rents and strong demand in well-located regional hubs, even as project risk stays elevated.
