In another worrying sign for the housing crisis gripping Western Australia, the number of homes completed has dropped for a second consecutive quarter.
Australian Bureau of Statistics data released on Wednesday shows only 4242 new homes were completed in the March quarter, down from 4426 in the December 2023 and 5047 in the September 2023 quarters.
New home completions have dropped in the west. Credit: Claire Ottaviano
To keep pace with WA’s projected population growth, 5750 completions are needed each quarter.
“Our continued skilled worker shortage and the financial feasibility of starting new housing projects presents significant challenges to building new homes in WA,” Property Council WA executive director Nicola Brischetto said.
“To increase the rate of home completions and ensure every West Australian has access to secure and affordable housing, we must adopt a ‘yes’ attitude towards apartment living.
“For WA to pull its weight in meeting the National Housing Accord targets, building new homes,
including apartments and townhouses, in our established suburbs will also be crucial.”
Over the past five years, WA has built about 75,000 new homes but that figure would need to lift to at least 120,000 to help achieve the National Housing Accord target of 1.2 million new homes across Australia.
The state government was exploring every measure to boost housing supply, a spokesman said.
He said the state had negotiated with the Commonwealth to secure 10,000 skilled migration places for key positions that could not be filled locally, including construction occupations such as bricklayers, carpenters, plasterers, plumbers and electricians.
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