Australia’s peak local government body is calling for councils to be included as genuine partners in national housing reform discussions, warning housing targets cannot be achieved without local government involvement.
The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) said the Federal Government’s Homes for Australia Plan highlighted the scale and urgency of the nation’s housing challenge, including the target of delivering 1.2 million homes over five years.
ALGA President, Matt Burnett, said it was encouraging to see the Federal Government commit to coordinated national action, but questioned why local government had been excluded from a national meeting of Housing, Planning and Building Ministers.
“The Federal Government has acknowledged that solving Australia’s housing crisis requires governments working together. Local government should be in the room when this discussion happens,” Burnett said.
“You cannot deliver a national housing agenda while excluding the level of government responsible for local planning, enabling infrastructure and managing the day-to-day realities of growing communities.”
Burnett said councils played a central role in planning, development approvals and delivering the infrastructure needed to support new housing, yet national discussions continued to focus heavily on local approvals processes.
“Councils are ready to help deliver this national plan, but homes cannot be built without the infrastructure and industry capacity needed to support them,” he said.
“New housing requires roads, water, sewerage, stormwater, power, transport links and community infrastructure to support growing populations.
“It also requires support for the construction sector, workforce availability and more resilient supply chains to ensure approved projects can actually be delivered.”
Burnett said planning approvals represented only one part of the broader housing system.
“Planning approvals can create a substantial administrative burden for councils, particularly in high-growth communities, but they are not the sole or primary obstacle affecting housing supply in many parts of Australia,” he said.
“The barriers across the housing system are already well understood. What councils need now is practical support and genuine collaboration, not more reviews or oversimplified blame.”
ALGA said investment in enabling infrastructure remained critical to achieving national housing targets and acknowledged the Federal Government’s commitment through the $2 billion Local Infrastructure Fund.
“Investment in roads, water, sewerage and other essential infrastructure is critical to getting homes built,” Burnett said.
“Without sustained and direct support to councils where housing is actually being delivered, national targets will become increasingly difficult to achieve.”
Burnett said local government must be directly involved in shaping future housing reforms.
“If governments are serious about driving further housing reforms together, local government must be part of that conversation,” he said.
“Councils are not observers in this process. We are delivery partners.
“Local government stands ready to work constructively with all levels of government to help deliver more homes for Australians, but councils must have a seat at the table.”
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