May 10th, 2026Additional $2 billion over four years to fund critical infrastructure – HIA

The Housing Industry Association (HIA) has welcomed the news that the 2026/27 Federal Budget will invest an additional $2 billion over four years to fund critical infrastructure, which will support the construction of up to 65,000 new homes.

“One of the key challenges facing the residential construction industry is the cost of enabling infrastructure, which invariably lands on the new home buyer,” said HIA Managing Director Jocelyn Martin.

“A substantial number of housing projects across Australia are near ready for construction, but stalled due to a lack of funding for enabling (‘last mile’) infrastructure.

“In many growth areas, state and local governments face increasing difficulty financing the trunk infrastructure required to unlock new housing supply.

“The cost of infrastructure provision, and the mechanisms used to recover those costs, have a direct influence on land prices, development feasibility and housing affordability.

“Poorly sequenced or excessively front-loaded charges raise project costs and delay delivery, whereas timely and efficiently financed infrastructure can expand supply and moderate price pressures.

“It is particularly pleasing to see that $500 million is reserved just for regional Australia.

“It can be a challenge to fund infrastructure in regional growth areas, where the population does not yet support more investment in services, but the population can’t grow without it. This helps break that ‘chicken and egg’ cycle.

“Timely provision of enabling infrastructure is critical to making projects shovel ready. It is not traditionally an Australian government responsibility, so this is an important commitment that will help accelerate housing delivery,” concluded Ms Martin.