Addressing planning constraints and investing in skilled labour is essential as Australia continues to fall behind in its aim to build 1.2 million homes in five years, construction industry experts say.

Analysis of the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) building activity by Master Builders Australia shows building a new detached house is 35.8 per cent slower than it was a decade ago.

Since 2014-15, time frames for apartments and townhouses have ballooned even further, with an increase of 54.1 per cent and 27.6 per cent respectively.

It's not all bad news, though.

For the first time since the pandemic, the average time it takes to build a house — from approval to completion — dropped to 11-and-a-half months in 2024-25, down from almost 13 months the previous year.

Housing Ind

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