Housing and Infrastructure
To support our vision for a stronger Australia, our ongoing advocacy aims to address Question 3: How do we tackle the housing and infrastructure crisis?
Learn MoreLearn MoreQuestion 3: How do we tackle the housing and infrastructure crisis?
We are focused on tackling the challenges to construction and housing industry productivity, improving feasibility for residential development, and ensuring Australia has the policy settings in place to deliver the infrastructure needed by the nation. This will help to ensure that we can deliver more homes for Australians, and put the infrastructure in place we need to deliver economic growth and continued high quality living conditions.
That requires efficient and of planning and environmental permitting systems nationally, both federally and at state and territory level. Land must be appropriately zoned to allow for more supply of housing, with infrastructure delivery matching housing need. Charges levied on new development that impact feasibility, and taxes like stamp duty that impact on mobility need to be addressed. Skilled labour shortages need to be resolved, upskilling the local workforce as well as allowing for targeted skills migration. Government infrastructure delivery should be well planned, and harness private sector innovation and capital. We must make better use of the nation’s infrastructure assets, considering what policy and technological approaches may be necessary to deliver the most out of those sectors.
Within this area of focus, we have the Housing and Infrastructure CEO Committee chaired by Campbell Hanan, CEO & Managing Director, Mirvac Group.
Regulation Rumble 2026
Comparing regulations and tax policies across states and territories to inspire a race to the top.
Building Australia’s Tomorrow
Quality infrastructure is vital to the Australian economy, and Australians’ quality of life. If well planned, it can be a driver of local, regional, or national productivity.
KPIs for the Nation
The Business Council’s ambition is for Australia to become one of the world’s top 10 investment destinations, strengthening the foundations for higher productivity and living standards.
To measure and track Australia’s progress, we have developed a set of national KPIs aligned to our Big Six Questions.
Our Housing and Infrastructure KPIs track Australia’s progress in building the homes and infrastructure we need more productively, affordably and consistently.
Housing and Infrastructure
- Construction productivity growth matching or exceeding market sector productivity growth
Ensuring the construction sector keeps pace with the rest of the economy by finding more efficient ways to build.
Current: Construction −1.1% p.a.; market sector +0.5% p.a. over the past decade → Target: Match or exceed market sector productivity growth
Metric: Construction sector productivity growth rate. - New home building prices do not exceed CPI
Ensuring the cost of building a new home, including labour and materials, does not rise faster than inflation.
Current: Houses 4.1%; other residences 4.2% → Target: At or below CPI (currently 3.8%)
Metric: Growth in the price of building a new home. - Maintaining consistent infrastructure spending as a share of GDP
Maintaining infrastructure investment that responds to Australia’s needs and the capacity of industry to deliver it.
Current: 3.8% of GDP (2024–25) → Target: 2.9–3.7%
Metric: Annual public and private infrastructure investment as a share of GDP, based on a target range around the rolling 10-year average.
Note that achievement of the 25 per cent red tape reduction target in Productivity and Competitiveness will help drive housing outcomes.
Read the full set of KPIs in our National Roadmap for Making Australia a Top 10 Investment Destination.