ABS figures show WA has fallen short of National Housing Accord target for construction of new homes

WA has fallen more than 3000 homes short of the target set by the National Housing Accord, with the Cook Government blaming winter for the slowing construction rate. According to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures, released on Wednesday, WA built 22,650 homes during the 2024-25 — up 25 per cent from the previous financial year. But the completion rate slowed during the June quarter, with 5359 homes built compared with 5696 in March. “It is disappointing to see WA fall behind its National Housing Accord target and two consecutive quarterly drops in home completions,” Property Council WA executive director Nicola Brischetto said. “We need to rapidly expand our skilled workforce and boost productivity on construction sites. “This means aggressively pursuing innovative methods of construction, such as prefabrication and modular components, and unlocking the essential infrastructure needed for new homes.” Master Builders Association WA boss Matt Moran said there was no time to waste. “The backlog accumulated during 2024-25 means that the bar is now higher and 26,800 new homes are needed per year,” he said. “We appreciate the reforms already done and underway by the State Government to boost housing supply, but we need more urgency if we are to build the homes our community so desperately needs.” Housing Minister John Carey blamed winter for the slowdown but said WA was still out-performing other states. “Quarterly data can be volatile— with this period coinciding with winter, when home completions tend to slow,” he said. “But the overall growth in the number of new homes completed and started remains strong. “The Federal Government’s targets are rightfully ambitious, and it is important to recognise the extraordinary growth we are seeing in home approvals, commencements and completions.” Nationwide, home completions fell 6.5 per cent last quarter. In Canberra, the Coalition’s Shadow Housing Minister, Andrew Bragg, called it proof that the Albanese Government’s National Housing Accord was now “dead, buried and cremated”. “Despite all the money Labor have shovelled out the door in the last 12 months, they’ve actually built fewer homes,” he said. But Roger Cook insisted WA’s target was within reach. “Obviously we need to continue to attract construction industry workers to Western Australia,” the Premier said, outside State Parliament. “Skilled migration is going to obviously be an important part to complement the work that we’re doing to train the local workforce. “The housing construction is an important part of that, but also we’ve got construction occurring in the resources sector, in the industrial sector and we want to make sure we’ve got the workers to ensure that we can keep our economy the strongest in the nation.”