29 May 2013
The March 2013 quarter ABS results for total building construction when converted to per capita has NSW well below Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia, says the Urban Taskforce.
Despite a slight upswing during 2012, the March quarter reduces the total building construction in NSW to $649 per person compared to $823 per person for Queensland, $1088 per person for Victoria and $1223 per person for Western Australia, says Urban Taskforce CEO, Chris Johnson. This is a clear signal that the planning reforms in NSW are needed urgently and that community groups calling for delays to the reforms and for more community involvement in all phases of the planning process will only keep NSW below the other states in building activity.
The Urban Taskforce supports genuine community involvement in the strategic phase of planning as long as this is based on accommodating the growth that will come to urban areas and on understanding the feasibility of developing projects.
The NSW community must understand that underperforming in our building construction means less housing and less places to work for our growing population. This leads to higher house prices and higher rents if supply is constrained.
While most commentators focus on the residential performance the non-residential sector is equally important and the NSW performance has been flat for over a year.
