A major investment in construction innovation has been welcomed by housing advocates as a critical step towards addressing Australia’s worsening housing supply shortage.
National Shelter has backed the Federal Government’s $39.3 million investment in modern construction methods, saying innovation will play a vital role in accelerating the delivery of social and affordable housing nationwide.
The funding will support collaboration between government and Building 4.0 CRC to develop a “kit of parts” construction approach aimed at improving national coordination, streamlining building processes and helping states and territories scale up housing delivery.
National Shelter CEO Jackson Hills said Australia could not rely solely on traditional construction methods if it hoped to meet future housing demand.
“This investment is so important to our housing supply because traditional construction alone can’t close the housing gap,” Mr Hills said.
“There is simply no pathway to meeting our future housing needs without the adoption of new and innovative housing approaches, and accelerating these methods is essential if we are to deliver homes more quickly, efficiently and at the scale required.”
National Shelter has long advocated for the expansion of prefabricated, modular and industrialised construction as part of broader reforms designed to improve productivity, increase consistency across jurisdictions and reduce delays in the housing pipeline.
Mr Hills said lifting levels of prefabricated construction closer to comparable international markets could significantly reduce build times and costs while also creating a stronger and more reliable pipeline of work for the construction sector.
“A coordinated national approach, working alongside states and territories where much of this work will occur on the ground, backed by innovation, leadership and strong partnerships, is essential to lift housing supply and deliver the homes Australians need faster,” he said.
