Local governments in Australia’s fastest-growing communities and the private development sector share a common understanding of what is needed to accelerate housing supply and meet the nation’s ambitious housing targets.
The National Growth Areas Alliance (NGAA) has welcomed the findings of the Urban Development Institute of Australia’s (UDIA) State of the Land 2026 report, which reinforces a strong consensus among growth area councils: housing supply cannot be unlocked without urgent investment in enabling infrastructure.
UDIA’s report highlights a complex housing market, with a 10% increase in greenfield sales for detached housing in 2025 offset by a sharp decline in multi-unit developments, now sitting at historically low levels.
Both NGAA and UDIA agree that while demand for housing remains high, the ability to deliver new homes is being constrained by infrastructure gaps.
“Growth area councils and the development industry recognise many of the same challenges,” said NGAA CEO Bronwen Clark. “There is a clear sense of what needs to be done. The focus needs to be on delivering the infrastructure required to support housing supply. For example, infrastructure shortfalls are evident in stormwater management in Blacktown, sewerage services in south west Sydney, and electricity supply in Perth.”
Australia’s 29 designated growth area Councils – representing just 5% of the nation’s 537 councils – are expected to deliver at least 26% of new housing under the National Housing Accord targets. They are expected to do so without the level of infrastructure investment required to support such growth.
Without upfront investment in essential infrastructure, such as power, water, sewer and roads, housing supply in greenfield areas simply cannot be unlocked.
The NGAA’s report, Beyond Bricks: Delivering the Housing We Need Sooner in Australia’s Growth Areas, outlines practical, evidence-based solutions to address these challenges. These recommendations closely align with UDIA’s policy positions, demonstrating a unified call for reform from local government in growth areas and industry.
Key shared priorities include:
• Direct Federal funding of housing-enabling infrastructure
• Prioritising existing infrastructure funding toward projects that unlock housing supply
• Using a portion of the Housing Accord Bonus to fund infrastructure upfront
In addition, NGAA is calling for:
• A realignment of Commonwealth funding programs to ensure immediate impact in growth areas
• Moving away from competitive grant funding models, which are not suited to delivering essential, time-critical infrastructure
The message is clear: if Australia is serious about meeting the National Housing Accord targets, it must invest in the infrastructure that makes new housing in greenfield areas possible.
Growth areas are already delivering around 50,000 new homes every year and are able to deliver more of the homes the nation needs, but without coordinated and timely infrastructure funding, that potential cannot be realised.
Now is the time for governments to act: working alongside local councils and industry to unlock housing supply and support the communities of the future.
