A builder focused entirely on first home buyers has put a price on all 26 of its Queensland designs. Eleven come in under $300,000, and the numbers show how much land a buyer can still afford before the state's grant cap applies. Price is the first question every...
Four rate rises in 2026 have not stopped Australians borrowing to build houses. What they are changing is which projects still stack up, and apartments, spec builds and renovations are feeling it first. The Reserve Bank lifted the cash rate to 4.60 per cent on 29...
Queensland's building regulator is layering defect trends, licensee risk and warranty claims onto maps to decide where inspectors go. The regional patterns it has released show defects are not spread evenly, and neither is the scrutiny that follows them. Where a home...
A Melbourne builder has grown annual deliveries from 215 to 402 homes in five years after moving almost its entire book into townhouses. The growth is the headline. How the work now arrives, and what it does to output per person, is the part other builders can use....
The Federal Government has finished the legislative work to fund free online access to Australian Standards written into law. The fix is welcome. The harder question is why it took the best part of twenty years. If you wire a house, plumb a bathroom or frame a wall,...
Two Defence sites near the Adelaide CBD are moving toward housing. What was announced on Tuesday is a negotiation, a relocation timetable and a preliminary plan, and each one runs on its own clock. The Commonwealth and South Australian governments announced on Tuesday...
Total dwelling approvals fell 6.1 per cent in August. Underneath that number, detached house approvals climbed to 10,885, the strongest month since August 2021, while townhouse and apartment approvals fell away sharply. The headline number from the Australian Bureau...
The state will pay for half its council assessment officers to sit a half day course on the new planning rules. The program targets what planners ask for, not how many of them there are. Every builder who has lodged a development application in New South Wales knows...
Every estimate, variation, delay and defect a building business records says something about how it actually performs. The widening gap is between the builders who read that record and the builders who file it. A building business generates information constantly....
Declared events damaged 145,392 homes in 2025. The country completed 172,657 new ones. The repair market draws on the same trades, the same materials and the same capacity, and the official housing numbers do not separate the two. In 2025, declared natural disaster...
Queensland’s 100 largest residential builders wrote 962 fewer new home contracts in FY2025/26 and still lifted total contract value by 4.9%. For an industry that has long measured success in homes built, that gap raises a useful question about what growth actually...
One builder bought its cabinetry supplier. Two of the country’s largest companies are building a factory. Underneath both sits the same question about which part of the chain is worth controlling. Most builders answer a supply problem by finding another supplier. A...
A new portal maps 617 major projects worth $173.76 billion out to 2030. The split between Brisbane and the regions, and the handful of trades the work will compete for, are where the number starts to mean something. Queensland's major project pipeline now runs to...
A single corporate structure now sits inside the construction insolvency figures that will be quoted for the next twelve months. Taking it out moves the number by fourteen percentage points. On 25 August 2026, 540 construction companies entered voluntary...
The regulator has published a four year statement of intent that changes what it says it is watching, when it escalates, and how much warning the industry gets. The QBCC published its Compliance and Enforcement Strategy 2026 to 2030 on 17 August 2026. It...
The chief executive of QA Build runs a business that owns a slice of its own supply chain, works two months ahead of site and is building its own trade college. He told the Good Builder Podcast the thinking started with a roofing shortage. Most builders answer a...
The land has carried a subdivision approval for eight years. Construction on the next stages starts next year. The distance between those two dates is the part of the housing pipeline builders feel most. Homecorp has paid $30 million for a 25.22 hectare site at 639...
New NCVER figures show trade commencements are still rising, but the rate of growth has fallen from almost 18 per cent to 2 per cent across three quarters, and the number of construction trades apprentices in training dropped again. The number of people starting a...
The Bill cleared both Houses without amendment. The licence, the offence and the penalties are now fixed in statute. What employers will actually be measured against sits in regulations that have not been drafted. Victoria has passed a law that will require an...
New house floor areas have climbed for four years straight, against every assumption about affordability. A new Census variable is about to measure part of the reason, and miss the rest. The average new house completed in Australia in 2024-25 measured 241.5 square...
Company searches, the PPSR, licence registers and credit scores each show something different. Knowing which record answers which question is most of the work. One of the questions our community sent in after the Bathla administration was not about Bathla at all. A...
Builders in Western Australia report being placed on allocation for maxi bricks by the state’s only major producer. The constraint itself is not the surprising part. The market that produces it was signed off six years ago. Brick supply in Perth has been awkward for a...
Western Australia’s smallest council has 617 homes on just over a square kilometre. Its draft strategy models 1,242 more. The reason it exists matters as much as the number. On 25 August 2026, the Shire of Peppermint Grove voted five to one to prepare a preliminary...
The Osaka manufacturer behind Sekisui Heim is paying AU$335 million for control of one of South East Queensland’s largest privately owned builders and developers. The plan published alongside the deal matters more than the price. Sekisui Chemical resolved at a board...
The scheme carries the same name in all eight jurisdictions and does the same job. Who pays it, what it is calculated on and when it falls due are different in almost every one. Portable long service leave exists because construction is project work. Workers move...
The Victorian Government never named a start date for these rules. The Act started them automatically on 1 September. The standard applicants are meant to be measured against still has not been published. From 1 September, anyone applying to become a building surveyor...
Round 2 was doubled to $1 billion in the June budget. Added to Round 1, that is the whole program. The statewide homes figure has moved from 98,000 to 161,000 since June, well ahead of the projects named in the announcements. Queensland’s Residential Activation Fund...
Vinnie Vecchio coaches builders across four countries. Asked what the single biggest constraint is, he did not hesitate. Then he broke it into parts. Ask a builder what is hurting the business and you usually get a list. Trades. Clients. Prices. Approvals. Weather....
Miss the foundations data and both states block you from recovering what it would have found. New modelling from Adelaide University puts a number on how large that gap can get. The soil report is close to the cheapest document on a residential job and it decides more...
The ABS released its council and suburb level approvals data on Tuesday. It answers the question the monthly headline never does, which is where the work is actually forming. Australia approved 18,901 new dwellings in July 2026. Fifty two council areas accounted for...
Free TAFE is permanent, a $10,000 apprentice incentive is funded to 2029, and skilled trades sit near the top of the migration list. The latest data shows what each of those has moved, and what none of them has. Australia does not lack proposed solutions to the trade...
Aluminium measures have applied to raw extrusions for over a decade. Finished windows and doors sat outside them. Case 691 is the first time the finished product is the target. There is a date worth putting in the diary. On or before 23 September the Anti-Dumping...
One set of design and siting rules for detached houses across the state. Here is what changed, and the two dates that decide when it lands on your jobs. The Queensland Housing Code commenced on 1 September 2026. It replaces the design and siting rules that have...
A rezoned, government approved greenfield site on the Yorke Peninsula has stalled because the state utility cannot say whether the network can carry it. The pricing cycles that produced that answer are being reset right now in three states. A 28 hectare greenfield...
The interim report is unusually precise about what state variations cost. It is much less precise about what would stop them. Treasury has put a page count on something the industry usually describes in adjectives. State and territory variations contribute...
Two countries are cutting approval times for the same reason. They have made opposite decisions about who checks the work, and only one of those bets is being tested right now. Every Australian jurisdiction is under pressure to get homes approved faster, and most of...
A robotic panel line at Edinburgh has started supplying a government housing project. What matters for builders is what it makes, and what it leaves you holding. Renewal SA confirmed on 31 August that homes at its Noarlunga development will be built using...
In New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland the statutory warranty is not simply that the work will be good. It is that the work will match what the contract described. Most residential builders think of the scope of works as an administrative document. Something the...
Public sector dwelling approvals get quoted constantly as evidence of how the social housing push is tracking. The Bureau has now published an article saying, in plain terms, that the number cannot carry that weight. Housing built and owned by a community housing...
The monthly housing numbers went backwards. The annual trend went forwards. And the fastest growing competition for trades is not residential at all. Total dwellings approved in Australia fell 3.6 per cent in July to 17,687, according to seasonally adjusted figures...
Building Commission NSW reviewed the certification work behind 728 new homes. The findings are about certifiers, but the file they were looking at is the same file a builder reaches for when a defect claim lands five years later. Building Commission NSW audited 427...
Planning for Bush Fire Protection governs every development on bush fire prone land in New South Wales. The first full rewrite since 2019 is on public exhibition until 3 September, and several of the changes land directly on residential work. The NSW Rural Fire...
The date changed in Parliament, not by proclamation, and that distinction matters for what happens next Victoria's overhaul of domestic building contracts will now start later than planned. The date by which the Domestic Building Contracts Amendment Act 2025 must be...
Residential building work done hit a national record in the June quarter. Underneath that single number, one state is at an all time high, two are running a third below their own peaks, and the reasons are not the ones usually offered. National figures are averages,...
Most builders assume the business they have spent twenty years building is worth something at the end. The machinery that governs who may build, and at what volume, was designed to protect consumers rather than to help an owner leave. Those two facts collide at...
The headline number in the latest ABS release is negative. Underneath it, residential building work done reached the highest quarterly figure since the series began in 1984. Queensland delivered more than half of the growth. The Australian Bureau of Statistics...
A frame goes over in a spring storm. The premium has been paid, the certificate is in the file, and most builders assume something answers. In most of the country the statutory scheme will not, and the document that decides who wears the loss is the one signed before...
The Key Apprenticeship Program employer incentive drops from $5,000 to $4,000 on 1 January 2027. What decides which rate applies is the commencement date registered on the Training Contract, and the current grant guidelines close at the end of December. The employer...
Australia has more industrial land on the books than it has had in years. It also has less land that anyone can actually build on. Both things are true at once, and the gap between them is the story. New research from Cushman and Wakefield, published as The Industrial...
The National Housing Supply and Affordability Council’s August Quarterly Report pushed the 1.2 million target back another quarter. The number that matters more to most home builders is sitting in the ABS data underneath it. The National Housing Supply and...
The headline number is the smallest freehold lot Brisbane has ever allowed. The operative number sits sixty square metres above it, and it moves a design decision from the builder to the subdivider. Brisbane City Council has signed off on the biggest change to its...
The ceiling has not moved since 2007. Building costs have. A government discussion paper now proposes lifting it to $800,000, with the recommendations report due next month. Western Australia's Home Building Contracts Act 1991 does not apply to every home building...
Self powering homes are being pitched as the next step for Australian housing. The rating tool that measures them is already sitting on every new build certificate, and most builders have never looked at the number. Last updated: August 2026 A home that generates more...
Two states can take the money off you. Three treat it as an offence and leave the contract standing. And South Australia does something different again, which may be the sharpest of the lot. In all six Australian states, residential building legislation says the same...
The August Statement on Monetary Policy carries a residential construction forecast that went almost entirely unreported. The number matters less than the mechanism the Reserve Bank describes underneath it. The Reserve Bank's central forecast has dwelling investment...
Western Australia has spent two years funding the manufacturing base for offsite housing. A full day of sessions at Crown Perth on 16 September is a useful place to read how much of the rest of the system has caught up. Western Australia is further into the shift...
Draft regulations released for consultation would lift the maximum deposit on a standard house build from 5 per cent to 10 per cent, add a site preparation stage, and remove the ability to agree a different payment schedule. Submissions close 16 September. The...
The Sydney Plan commenced on 13 August 2026. It is now the single strategic land use framework for the 33 local government areas in the Sydney region, replacing the Greater Sydney Region Plan: A Metropolis of Three Cities along with the five district plans that sat...
For a residential builder, the most consequential part of the proposed thirty per cent trust tax may not be the tax rate. It is what happens to the licence. Master Builders Australia lodged its submission to Treasury on 31 July 2026 and published its findings on 7...
Two different housing numbers are circulating for the same document. Only one of them is the target councils will actually be held to. Queensland has released the draft North Queensland Regional Plan and Infrastructure Plan 2026 for public consultation. It sets a...
The claim that migrant workers do not know Australian standards is common on sites and in industry conversation. The workforce data does not support it as an explanation, but underneath it sits a real problem that almost nobody is naming correctly. There is a gap in...
The Building Codes Board already publishes the mandatory requirements as a standalone document. We downloaded it and measured it. The numbers reframe what the argument about code length has actually been about. A week of argument about how long the National...
Almost every residential block in Canberra can now take more than one home. Whether it stacks up depends on a suburb by suburb charge schedule that changed on the same day. On 1 July 2026, Major Plan Amendment 04 to the Territory Plan commenced. It made low rise...
Josh Tyrrell signed his franchise at 29 with no intention of becoming a volume builder. A decade on he has 18 staff, drafting and accounting in house, and a second office in the works. Josh Tyrrell was 28, building his own first house, and entirely uninterested when...
Xero economist Louise Southall has spent about twenty years working in and around small business. On The Good Builder Podcast she named the specific headcount band where operators struggle most, and explained why it is a structural gap rather than a phase. Most...
The proposal puts a number on a debate the industry has been having in general terms for two years. Whether it would reduce the amount a builder needs to know, or simply move it somewhere else, depends on detail that does not exist yet. Speaking at the National Press...
On The Good Builder Podcast, Xero economist Louise Southall defined red tape as internal friction rather than external regulation. It is a smaller idea than the policy debate, and a considerably more usable one. Ask almost anyone in Australian construction what red...
Consult Australia’s 2026 survey of design and engineering firms puts residential among the sectors with too much work. Spare capacity is tightening, and 92 per cent of firms are absorbing cost increases rather than passing them on. Consult Australia’s 2026 Market...
Two new houses in a masterplanned estate in South East Queensland now sit close enough that a tennis ball will not pass between them. The gutters nearly touch. Tradesmen working on one roof have found themselves standing on the other. Both houses were approved. Both...
The ABS has spelled out how it sorts housing into public and private sectors. The short version is that the split is about ownership, not funding, and a lot of government backed housing is not where people assume it is. The Good Builder | August 2026 There...
It cost $890,000 to deliver a detached house on Sydney greenfield land in 2025, against $1,049,000 for a single apartment in a seven storey infill building. The house then sold for $1,184,000 against the apartment at $1,103,000. Cheaper to build, dearer to sell, by...
Tap to measure tools have arrived in mainstream property listings. The numbers they return are not calculated the same way as the numbers on a set of plans. Scanned 3D property tours with built in measuring tools have moved into the mainstream of Australian property...
The response was nine times the target. Converting it into qualified construction trade teachers is the harder half of the job. Queensland's campaign to recruit a new generation of TAFE teachers has drawn more than 3,600 expressions of interest against an original...
It now costs $1,049,123 to deliver a single apartment in a seven storey building in Sydney. That is the 2025 figure in new cost modelling prepared for NSW Treasury by the Centre for International Economics, up from $916,963 in 2023. Against a modelled average sale...
Phil Del Titto from WD Constructions spent four years as an apprentice carpenter. He came out qualified, handy with the tools and ready to subcontract. Then he sat down to write his first invoice and realised he had no idea how to do it. "I wrote a Word document and I...
NAB’s June quarter survey of property professionals puts construction costs further ahead of everything else than at any point in the recent run of this series. What moved underneath the headline number matters more than the number itself. Seventy seven per cent of...
Twenty million dollars is back on the table for infill apartment projects. The genuinely new part of this round is buried in the third dot point. Applications for Streams 1 and 2 of Western Australia's Infrastructure Development Fund reopened on 3 August 2026, with up...
The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal has been given almost $4 million in extra floor space, and the government says wait times are falling. For builders, the number that actually matters is 90 weeks. That is the current wait for a first hearing in a...
The data centre boom has been a labour story and a cost story. It is now a monetary policy story, and residential builders are sitting on both sides of it. The Reserve Bank of Australia has set up a dedicated internal team to track the country’s data centre...
Most builders open a new tab every time they use AI, then wonder why the output never sounds like them. There is a ten minute fix, and you only do it once. You know the output when you see it. Photo of a slab going down. Caption reads "Transforming spaces one build at...
Two ABS releases landed a day apart. Both say the same thing about what it now costs to build a house in Australia, from opposite ends of the transaction. The average approval value for a new private house in Australia reached $529,790 in June 2026. That is the...
June closes the financial year, which makes this the one approvals release that shows the full annual picture. Both halves of the market lifted at the same time for the first time since the pandemic. Australia approved 205,249 new dwellings in the 2025 to 2026...
Three national titles across two Tasmanian projects. Bluebush Passivhaus took the biggest honour on the program and a second title alongside it. Fysh Place made it three. Tasmanian builder Zanetto Builders won three national titles at the 2026 HIA Australian...
A new policy report has costed what would happen if Australian governments started buying manufactured housing at scale. For builders, the numbers matter less than the list of programs it names. The national conversation about prefabricated housing has spent two years...
Three new bushfire compliance documents have landed in three months. The more useful signal is what is happening to AS 3959 itself. Three new bushfire compliance documents have arrived in the space of three months, and the standard all three of them explain is...
Australia's largest home builder has completed its first prefabricated housing pilot. Metricon built two homes at Stockland's Mt Atkinson Estate in Truganina, in Melbourne's outer west, taking both from slab pour to completion in 20 working days. The announcement...
Every state now has a flagship housing program with a very large number attached to it. Queensland says its Residential Activation Fund has unlocked more than 100,000 homes. New South Wales says its Housing Delivery Authority has built a pipeline of 150,000. South...
Google has quietly connected your social media to the same tool it uses to measure your website. For builders, the interesting part is not the feature. It is what it tells you about where people actually find you. Most builders do not spend their evenings inside...
One code, eight timelines. Here is the verified adoption map for every state and territory as at July 2026, what actually changed for residential work, and where the cost lands. Last updated: 24 July 2026 If you build in more than one state, the National Construction...
Stockland bought the land in 2004 and markets it as Aura South. It has been on the growth map since 2009. Council argued the federal referral had no lawful basis, then conceded it may need the site to hit its dwelling targets. Next door, Caloundra South is sixteen...
Winter on the tools is more than a miserable morning. Across a season it slows the work, wears down the crew, and quietly eats into the margin. Here is what the cold really costs, and why The Good Builder and Milwaukee are giving something back to the builders who cop...
One of the region’s most talked-about development sites has cleared its biggest hurdle. Here is what the approval covers, and what it means for the builders and trades who will eventually deliver it. After years of slow progress, the Dreamworld Masterplan has been...
The draft plan for the former Southern Cross University site firms up one of the region’s biggest post-flood housing projects. Here is where it stands and what builders should be watching. The East Lismore flood recovery site now has a masterplan, and the numbers have...
A workforce with decades of heavy industrial safety culture is being pointed at building sites. The opportunity is real. So is the question of where the jobs actually are. On Thursday morning, about 250 workers at Liberty Bell Bay were told in a routine 10.15am...
The industry asked the government to model the housing impact of its SMSF borrowing ban. The government didn't. So builders went and counted the contracts themselves. The numbers are now on the table. Back in June, the question was theoretical. The Housing Industry...
Victoria has launched the country's first long-form prefabrication qualification. The more useful story is what the paperwork trail says about how slowly training follows the work. Last Thursday, federal and Victorian ministers stood at Melbourne Polytechnic's...
Analysis of ASIC data released this month shows 3,435 construction companies entered external administration in 2025-26, down from 3,596. It is the first annual fall since the wave began. What sits underneath it is more complicated than a recovery. For four years, the...
The Good Builder’s Top 100 report found one franchise network added builds in a year the market lost them. On the podcast this week, James Stroud gives an explanation that has almost nothing to do with the market. Queensland’s hundred largest residential builders...
For two years the national prefab certification scheme has been a line item in budget papers and a promise in communiques. The ABCB has now put draft rules, a draft NCC definition and an economic analysis on the table. This is the round where the detail gets decided....
A new global report puts hard cost figures on the trades competition we flagged earlier this year. Brisbane's construction cost inflation is forecast to top the region at 7.2 per cent in 2026. When we wrote about the data centre boom draining the trades that build...
The headlines out of the Central West sweep were about fines. The more useful story is the short list of workmanship defects inspectors are quietly writing up on competent sites. When Building Commission NSW inspectors walked 10 building sites across the Central West...
A Gold Coast husband-and-wife painting crew has a name for what builders pay when a trade cuts a corner. They call it the FAFO tax, and their argument is that the cheapest quote on paper is almost never the cheapest job in the end. Brendan Kelly has been painting for...
Payday super started on 1 July. Two weeks in, the operators having a rough start almost all share the same two problems: a data issue hiding in their payroll file, and a July timing trap that catches even the organised. Payday super started on 1 July. For the first...
Public hearings on Queensland's proposed construction code run from 14 to 30 July, sitting right on top of the 24 July deadline for industry to respond. The witnesses being called reveal the model on the table: a state-level rebuild of the ABCC. Queensland's...
The workers were promised. The numbers tell a different story. Ask any builder what was supposed to ease the trades shortage and you will hear the same answer. Skilled migration. For two years it has been the policy line, the industry ask, the headline solution. Bring...
A new national map of zoning laws has put Melbourne out in front and everyone else on the back foot. It is a useful picture. It is also the wrong thing to celebrate, because the part of the pipeline that is actually failing sits well past the zoning map. There is a...
Of every tool a builder can put in their business, a customer experience program is one of the most critical. It is not the flashiest. It is one of the most important, and here is what it actually does. Ask most builders where their next job comes from and they will...
Approvals have been the good news story of 2026. But the latest Building Activity data shows home starts went backwards in the March quarter. For builders, the gap between the two is the number that matters. The Good Builder | July 2026 For most of this...
A North Queensland city of around 200,000 people just topped a global cost table ahead of Honolulu and Johannesburg. For builders, the ranking matters less than what sits underneath it, and the forecast says the pressure holds for years. When a global study of...
From 1 July, anyone in NSW with a development application that needs state government input deals with a single authority instead of chasing up to 22 of them. Here is what that means on the ground, and where the real bottleneck still sits. If you have ever had a...
Warranty used to only bite if you went under. In a growing slice of the country, it can now be triggered while you are still on the tools, on the job, and still trading. If you build for a living, that changes your exposure whether or not you build in Victoria. You...
The Good Builder's Top 100 Queensland Builders report ranks the state's hundred largest residential builders across two financial years. The averages tell a calm story. The individual builders do not. Some doubled and tripled. Some shed most of their volume. And a few...
On the latest Good Builder Podcast, Owen Chambers from The Professional Builder made a claim most builders never hear said plainly. The money leaks out of a job long before the first tool comes out. His three city Queensland roadshow lands this month to prove it, and...
The Good Builder's inaugural Top 100 Queensland Builders report ranks the state's hundred largest residential building businesses by contract value. The headline is a paradox: the market built fewer homes and banked more money. Here is why. Queensland's hundred...
Builder liability premiums have climbed steadily since 2019, even for operators with a clean claims record. A federal inquiry now underway could reshape the rules behind that cost. Here is what is actually moving, and why it matters before your next renewal. Public...
The May figures came with an "approvals fall" headline. For most builders, that headline is describing a part of the market they do not work in. If you build detached homes, May was a good month. Private sector house approvals rose 2.8 per cent to 10,537, and that is...
For most of this year, there has been one question on every builder's mind when a supplier notification lands in the inbox. How much, and what next. For the first time in months, the answer is starting to be "less than you feared." The fuel shock that defined the...
It is the number one defect in Australian homes. It is also the one that responds most reliably to good practice. Here is what the numbers say and what the next code change means for the work you are quoting now. Waterproofing is the most common serious defect in...
New dwelling approvals are up 8.7 per cent nationally. But the build is not lifting evenly. Here is where the work is moving, state by state, and what it means for builders deciding where to put their capacity. The Good Builder · June 2026 If you want to...
Colli Timber & Hardware has secured a $2.734 million government grant and is matching it with its own funds to build one of WA's most advanced truss and framing facilities. The result: capacity to frame up to 960 homes a year. A family-owned timber supplier in...
Construction has the worst late-payment record and the highest insolvency rate of any industry in the country. Here is what slow and non-payment actually costs, and what you can do about it. Ask any builder who has been in business for more than a few years and they...
The Top 100 Queensland Builders, FY2025/26. The inaugural edition lands Friday 3 July, 2026. Volume did not carry the year for Queensland's hundred biggest residential builders. The money did. You would expect those two to move together. This year they parted ways,...
Award wages, superannuation, parental leave, compliance and tax reforms all land in the same week. Here is the full picture. A new financial year always brings change. This one is carrying more than usual. Award wages are rising. Superannuation moves to payday. Paid...
Seven hectares of flood-prone land has been turned into infrastructure. Nearly 70 hectares of residential potential has been unlocked behind it. Colac has a housing problem that has been building for years. Rental vacancies have sat at 0.03 per cent, a figure so tight...
Most builders who struggle financially are not bad builders. They are good builders running businesses that were never quite set up to be profitable. Talk to enough builders and the same story keeps coming up. Full order book. Strong reputation. Good work. And yet the...
A home that did not exist a month ago is now standing in Revesby. That is the headline from Green Timber Technology's Homes NSW project, where the Orange-based advanced manufacturer is currently delivering 32 new social homes across 16 Western Sydney sites as part of...
Western Australia has legislated a 75 per cent land tax exemption for eligible build-to-rent developments, the highest rate of any state. What it means for the rental pipeline and for builders active in the Perth market. Western Australia's parliament has passed...
The 2026-27 NSW Budget locks in a two-year premium freeze for 340,000 employers, avoiding $4.1 billion in forecast cost growth. For construction businesses carrying some of the heaviest insurance loads in any industry, the timing matters. The NSW 2026-27 Budget,...
The Minns government has handed down its fourth budget with housing delivery and construction pipeline front and centre. Here is what builders operating in NSW need to know. The NSW Government handed down its 2026-27 Budget on 23 June, and for builders and...
The Melbourne townhome builder has reached a community milestone by linking a meal donation to every home it builds. Head of Sales and Acquisitions Sam Martinez explains why the model is deliberately uncapped, and what he thinks separates a good builder from the rest....
From 1 July 2026, Western Australia will no longer require a registered builder for non-habitable structures valued under $50,000. The change opens the door for more tradespeople to quote this work, but it also raises questions about quality and accountability. For...
The state has begun the first full review of the South East Queensland Regional Plan in more than a decade. For builders, the detail worth watching is where new homes are allowed to go, and whether infrastructure arrives with them. The Queensland Government has opened...
Fresh ABS data names the council areas leading the country for new home approvals this financial year. South East Queensland is out in front, and a handful of growth suburbs are pulling away from the pack. If you build homes for a living, the most useful number in the...
In a formal response to a Senate Committee, the Government has restated the environment reforms it passed in late 2025. For builders, the substance sits in three words: assessment, duplication and timing. In a new response to a Senate Committee report, the Australian...
Two homes that could not sell at $3 million have had their guides cut to $2.6 million. The reason they stalled matters more to builders than anything the show ever taught about renovation. For the first time in The Block’s history, homes from a previous season are...
From the start of the new financial year, almost any roof job on a single-storey home in SA becomes high-risk construction work. For most residential builders, the day-to-day change is simple: a Safe Work Method Statement now has to be in place before the work starts....
Zoning restrictions add tens of thousands of dollars to the price of every new home in Australia. Here is what the research says, what reform looks like, and why builders should be paying attention. There is a tax most Australians have never heard of. It does not...
Most builders blame themselves when the pressure becomes too much. On a recent Good Builder Podcast, estimator Josh Peapoint made a different case. A lot of that pressure is built into how the business runs, not who the builder is. No builder burns out because they...
A landmark 18-month AHURI report from seven universities has confirmed what many builders have lived through: it is not the planning system killing housing supply. It is the boom-bust cycle destroying the industry from the inside. There is a version of the housing...
Liquidators have a reputation that keeps builders awake at night. According to Chris from Jirsch Sutherland, that fear is based on a misconception. His first question is never about closing a business down. Nobody grows up wanting to be a liquidator. Chris, a Partner...
The temporary halving of Australia's fuel excise expires on June 30, and for builders and trades running diesel-heavy operations, the timing matters. Since April 1, the excise on petrol and diesel has been reduced by 60.9%, bringing the rate down from the standard...
The Rockliff Government handed down its 2026-27 Budget on 21 May 2026, with fiscal repair, housing and major infrastructure as the central themes. The housing measures are targeted rather than transformational. But the structural changes underway in how the state...
Mark Irving KC spent 20 months as CFMEU administrator facing death threats, removing over 200 officials, and negotiating nearly 1,500 enterprise agreements. He resigned in April 2026, halfway through his term. Michael Crosby AM took over on 22 May. Here is an honest...
Christchurch builder Dan Saunders has spent three decades building homes that perform well beyond the code. His message for Australian builders is simple: the code is the floor, not the ceiling. There is a line Dan Saunders uses when he talks about the New Zealand...
A year on from the introduction of Victoria's Townhouse and Low-Rise Code, application volumes have surged nearly 50 per cent. The numbers tell a clear story about where work is heading and what builders need to understand before the pipeline converts. The numbers...
The Australian Construction Industry Forum's May 2026 forecasts are out, and the shift from November 2025 is striking. What looked like a soft landing has become something harder. Builders who understood the upside in 2025 need to understand the downside risks now in...
New Xero figures show Australian small businesses in construction recorded their strongest productivity growth in nearly four years. For an industry used to bad headlines, this one is worth reading. There is a version of the construction industry that lives in the...
While NSW drove national headlines with a sharp fall, South Australia quietly posted an 11.4 per cent rise in private sector house approvals in April 2026. For builders operating in the state, the momentum is real. The coverage rarely is. In the same month that New...
New South Wales drove the national fall in private sector house approvals in April 2026, down sharply from March. But March was an outlier. Reading this correction properly matters for builders trying to understand where the NSW pipeline is heading. The April number...
The April 2026 ABS data shows Queensland private sector house approvals rising to a four-year high. But the conditions that greeted builders the last time approvals reached this level were nothing like today. The number is worth pausing on. Queensland private sector...
April building approvals data from the ABS confirms the detached housing recovery is no longer a one-month event. Three consecutive months above 10,000 private sector house approvals points to sustained demand. Queensland hits its highest house approval result since...
Twenty-one modular dwellings assembled at a Gold Coast factory are now going up in Yeppoon. What this project tells us about where modular construction is heading in regional Queensland. A few months ago, these homes were panels and modules being assembled inside a...
The latest ABS figures show a volatile month for Australian building approvals, with a sharp fall in multi-unit dwellings dragging overall numbers down 10.5 per cent. But dig past the headline and there is a more nuanced picture for the residential construction...
South Australia's $50 million Playford Alive precinct is the first neighbourhood in the country ring-fenced entirely for first homebuyers. For builders willing to pay attention, there is real work on the horizon. Something unusual is happening in Adelaide's northern...
A new Queensland Productivity Commission inquiry into changes to federal environmental law is calling for public submissions. The construction and housing sectors are directly in scope. If you have ever waited years for a housing lot to clear federal environmental...
For over 13 years, the HIA has been pushing for Queensland to adopt a single mandatory housing code. The productivity cost of the status quo is now estimated at more than $200 million a year. Industry insiders say the excuses have run out. Every time a builder works...
The latest ABS data shows residential and non-residential building activity both growing at their strongest annual pace in years. What the December quarter figures reveal about where the industry is heading, and where the pressure points remain. The headline numbers...
The Property Council of Australia's Victorian Division has put nine hard-nosed recommendations on the table to slash planning timelines and get more homes and jobs moving. Here is what it means for the builders waiting on the other side of the process. Every builder...
At a launch event in Hamilton last night, the team behind The Gallery explained how a two-year site acquisition, a decision to retain all retail, and a building designed around a specific buyer all point to the same long-term position. Racecourse Road has been waiting...
New ABS data shows 72 per cent of Australian businesses have been hit by rising fuel costs and supply disruptions. For builders, the pressure is not abstract. It is showing up in operating costs, delayed schedules and decisions about workforce. The Australian Bureau...
Three builder insolvencies on his very first development. An engineering background transplanted into residential construction. A decade in the classroom. Nagy Mourad has seen this industry from every angle, and what he sees concerns him. Not the numbers. The...
Behind every insolvency statistic is a person. Usually a couple. Often a family. The construction industry talks constantly about cashflow and contracts. It almost never talks about this. In 2024, more than 3,200 construction companies in Australia entered insolvency...
The federal and Queensland governments have launched a new tool designed to speed up environmental assessments for development projects. Here is what it means in practice, and why builders should be paying attention. The approval process for development in Australia...
Two policy updates in 48 hours. Gemini-powered enforcement now live. 292 million reviews removed last year. If your review process was built before April 2026, it's probably now a liability. For a lot of builders, getting Google reviews has followed a pretty standard...
The Malinauskas Government is piloting a new housing typology that sits between the detached home and the high-rise apartment. The opportunity for builders is real. For decades, Australian housing has worked at two speeds. You either build a detached house on a...
What the NSW Government's latest planning change means for builders working in one of the country's fastest growing corridors. The NSW Government has quietly removed one of the more frustrating planning restrictions affecting landowners near Western Sydney...
The Payment Times Reporting Scheme now has a public fast payer list, a slow payer direction power, and a regulator with new enforcement tools. ACCC penalties for anti-competitive conduct have already doubled to $100 million, with unfair trading practice laws on the...
Construction employs more apprentices than any other sector in Australia. New data from the Fair Work Ombudsman is a reminder that keeping that pipeline strong starts with getting the basics right. Ask any builder what they need more of right now and the answer is...
A complying development variation process and a new Targeted Assessment Pathway are now out for consultation. If they get up, the average DA wait for low-rise homes could be cut in half. Here is what builders need to know. If you have ever watched a straightforward...
Aaron and Emily Pollard sat down to untangle one of the most misunderstood parts of running a construction business. What came out of it is more useful than most marketing courses. Marketing is one of those things the construction industry has always had a complicated...
Total dwelling approvals fell 10.5% in March 2026, but the story behind the headline is more complicated. Private house approvals are growing steadily. It is the apartment sector pulling the number down. The latest building approvals data from the Australian Bureau of...
The Minns Government's Building (Approvals and Practitioners) Bill 2026 is the most significant overhaul of NSW's building framework in years. It touches approvals, modern construction methods, and certifier accountability all at once. Builders need to understand what...
The Cook Labor Government is building a library of pre-assessed, architect-designed homes for medium-density infill. The approach has already shown results in New South Wales. Here is what builders in WA need to know. Planning approvals have been one of the most...
As housing affordability bites harder and immigration reshapes the buyer pool, Australia's residential construction market is pulling in two very different directions at once. Something is shifting in the Australian housing market. Not a sudden collapse. Not a boom....
The National Housing Supply and Affordability Council's 2026 State of the Housing System report shows genuine progress on supply. It also shows affordability at record lows, and a new threat that builders need to understand. The National Housing Accord set an...
Western Australia has committed another $13.1 million to keep skilled workers moving into the state's building and construction sector. The funding extends two programs that have, by the government's own count, delivered more than 2,700 additional tradespeople to WA...
Start with the hard truth. If your answer to 'what makes you different?' is that you build quality homes, on time and on budget, you sound like every other builder in your local area. Probably around Australia. That is not a unique value proposition. That is a...
AVID Property Group has appointed Anthony Demiris as its new Chief Executive Officer, with the change effective immediately. The appointment follows the retirement of Cameron Holt, who has led the residential development and land lease communities group for close to...
Australia needs to build more homes. That is not a contested point. The federal government's target of 1.2 million new dwellings over five years requires a pace of construction this country has never sustained. And meeting it depends heavily on one thing going right:...
Somewhere in Western Sydney right now, a residential builder is waiting for an electrician. Not because there are no electricians in the country. But because the electricians who exist are increasingly being locked into something else entirely, something that pays...
Australia's building code fractured along state lines on 1 May 2026. Victoria, the Northern Territory, and Tasmania all moved to NCC 2025 on that date. But New South Wales, Queensland, and the ACT deferred to 1 May 2027. South Australia and Western Australia have...
Tom Sachs did not follow a straight line into building. Fifteen years later, he runs one of the more respected franchise operations in regional Queensland. The path in between is worth paying attention to. Tom Sachs started his working life lopping trees. Not an...
Australian residential construction costs have surged from around $1,750 per square metre before the pandemic to $2,600 to $4,300 today. That number is easy to quote. What builders and clients need to understand is what it means on the actual contract. Brisbane-based...
The headline number from yesterday's ABS release looks bad. Total dwelling approvals fell 10.5 per cent in March to 17,300. That is the figure most outlets ran with. But if that is all you read, you missed the more important story. Buried inside the same data release...
Five thousand Australians typed the phrase 'new construction home builders' into Google every month between April 2025 and March 2026. That figure comes from Google Keyword data we analysed and it comes with a striking footnote: searches for that term increased by 900...
Australia's residential lots are getting smaller, more expensive, and more complex to build on. Here's the data behind the squeeze, and what it means for builders trying to stay profitable on the blocks they're being handed. There is a number that tells the story of...
The Cook Government's Seven Cities vision puts housing first, commissioning over 500 homes for frontline workers across the Pilbara, Kimberley, Goldfields, and Great Southern in a model that trades on construction work from one end of WA to the other. If you are a...
New planning controls at Lang Lang, Oaklands Junction and Trafalgar are designed to protect the rock and sand supply that underpins residential construction across the state. Here is what builders need to know. Rock and sand are not glamorous. They do not make...
Australia's only producer of structural long steel has been offline since early April. The blast furnace is old, the shutdown could stretch to mid-May, and the sale process is still running. Here is what it means for builders on the ground. What Has Happened The...
A sales manager at Glenvill Homes noticed something unusual in a client email. The questions were too systematic, the formatting too clean. The client had fed the tender documents straight into ChatGPT. It's not a one-off. It's the new normal. The email that changed...
Something has shifted in what Australians believe they can afford to build. Keyword data across Google's Australian market tells the story in numbers. Search volume for modular home builders, container home builders, shipping container home builders, duplex builders,...
Leadership coach Dan Urquhart returns to The Good Builder Podcast to talk seasons, mission, and the foundations that keep building businesses standing when everything else gets hard. There is a word that keeps coming back. Seasons. Not in a motivational poster sense....
As passivehaus becomes mainstream marketing language, a critical misconception is taking hold. Builders need to understand the gap before their clients discover it for them. Passivehaus has had a remarkable rise in the Australian residential market. A concept that was...
Why every day without a trade on site is costing you more than you think There is a number most builders never calculate. They know their material costs. They know their labour rates. They track their progress claims and watch their margins. But the cost of a site...
The Cook Government's Pre-sale Guarantee tackles one of the most stubborn financial barriers in apartment construction. The mechanics matter for anyone involved in delivering medium-density housing. Apartment development in Australia does not stall because builders...
Australia has a housing supply problem. You already know that. We have been talking about it for years. Planning reform. Zoning changes. Infrastructure levies. Approval timelines. Build rates. Housing targets. The National Housing Accord. State-level housing...
One of Queensland's leading builder brokers Emily Pollard on display homes, data, and the slow collapse of trust between builders and the people hiring them. There is a version of the construction industry that Australians still remember. Builders were respected. The...
Perth built its reputation as one of Australia's most affordable places to build. Cheap land. Cheap inputs. Room to move. But sand, long taken for granted, is quietly becoming a cost story every WA builder needs to understand. For generations, Perth builders have...
Most builders are trained to chase every lead. Ash Turner of Glenvill Homes is building a retail business on the opposite principle. And the numbers are backing him up. The job you don't take is the job you don't regret There's a version of builder sales that most...
Australian consumers are workshopping their build decisions on Reddit before they ever pick up the phone. Builders who understand what is being said there are starting from a different position than those who do not. There is a moment in most major building decisions...
Building Commission NSW and SafeWork NSW just wrapped up a major joint operation across the Hunter Region. The results reveal where the compliance pressure points are and where the regulator is heading next. What Actually Happened In March 2025, Building Commission...
If you are a builder, there is a good chance your next client will spend hours researching online before they ever call you. What they do not realise is that a significant chunk of what they are reading was never written by anyone who has stood on a muddy site, dealt...
Builder broker Emily Pollard has read hundreds of residential construction contracts. What she finds in them is shaping how she thinks about the industry's next big problem. Most builders spend months refining their process, their pricing and their sales pitch. They...
The numbers are in. Now the question is whether anyone in power will act on them. Next time one of your clients complains about the cost of their new build, tell them this: nearly half of what they are paying has nothing to do with you. Not your trades. Not your...
Fixed-price risk, provisional sums, contingency buffers, and how to have the honest pricing conversation with clients without losing the job. Pricing a build has never been straightforward. But over the past few years it has become genuinely difficult in ways that...
The industry needs more people entering construction. Understanding what younger tradespeople are actually looking for is the first step to becoming a business they want to join. The conversation about workforce shortages in Australian construction is well...
There is a question sitting at the centre of Australia's new home construction market that almost nobody wants to ask out loud. Who is accountable when a sales consultant overpromises? Who is responsible when a builder broker sets unrealistic expectations, places an...
Australia's housing pipeline took a significant hit in January 2026, with total dwelling approvals falling 7.2 per cent to 14,564 units on a seasonally adjusted basis. The result came hard on the heels of a 14.9 per cent fall in December, meaning the sector has now...
It is one of the most uncomfortable conversations in construction. Here is a practical framework for delivering the news, managing expectations, and keeping the relationship intact. No builder enjoys telling a client that a build is going to cost more than what was...
The premium custom home franchise has returned under new management with nine franchisees in place and a three-phase strategy focused on modernising systems, improving franchisee performance and expanding nationally. When a brand enters liquidation, the story usually...
Builders invest months delivering a home. A single damaged surface at handover can define what a client remembers. Most residential builds are won or lost long before anyone unlocks the front door. The tender is priced carefully. The slab is poured on time. Frames go...
When a dispute happens, clarity beats recollection every time. These are the habits that make the difference. Disputes in residential construction are not unusual. They arise in good projects managed by good builders. The difference between a dispute that resolves...
Developer insolvencies are not rare events. What happens to your contract, your invoices, and your liability when one occurs is something every builder should understand before they sign. In recent years, the number of developer insolvencies in Australia has attracted...
Most builders know when something is off with their sales process. Prelims that go nowhere. Clients who ghost after getting a quote. Contracts that fall over in the final stages. The assumption is usually that it is a market problem, a client quality problem, or bad...
Labour is tight. Relationships matter. The builders who get the first call are not always the ones paying the most. Ask any builder what keeps them up at night and the availability of reliable trades is usually somewhere near the top of the list. The structural...
The clauses that protect you when a subcontractor relationship goes wrong and the ones most builders never read closely enough. Most builders have a subcontractor agreement somewhere in their system. A lot of those agreements were drafted years ago, borrowed from...
The data is in. And builders are already putting it to work. The TGB Australian Building Industry Health Report for Q1 2026 has landed, and the feedback from the builders and suppliers who have already picked it up is the same across the board: this is the kind of...
Both states have pushed the National Construction Code 2025 out to 1 May 2027. The ACT has followed. Victoria is pushing ahead on 1 May 2026. Here's what changed, what it means state by state, and what you need to do before you lodge your next building approval. The...
The oil shock that hit in late February has partially unwound. But copper is surging, the fuel excise snaps back on 1 July, and material prices already banked are not coming back down. Here is what builders need to know right now. Updated June 2026 When this article...
WorkSafe Victoria charged 67 employers with falls-related breaches last year, issuing $3.75 million in fines. Eleven workers died. Eleven workers did not go home last year because of falls on worksites. That number alone should be enough to stop any conversation...
Every builder has felt it lately. The client who seemed ready to sign, then went quiet for three weeks. The couple who came back with a list of questions they had found online at midnight. The first home buyer who is genuinely excited one conversation and completely...
A state government review into Queensland's workers' compensation scheme is raising important questions about how psychological injuries are treated. Legal and mental health experts are urging caution before protections are wound back. Queensland's workers'...
Most people who think about modular construction picture the walls, the roof, the fitout. What they rarely think about is what sits underneath all of it. John Davis thinks about it constantly. Davis is the director of MMC Modular and the creator of ModFloor, a light...
The ABS February 2026 data shows a 29.7 per cent jump in total approvals. Here is what is actually driving it, and what it means for builders on the ground. The headline number looks impressive. Total dwelling approvals in Australia rose 29.7 per cent in February...
A Commission of Inquiry is now asking the construction industry a direct question: does Queensland need a unified code of practice, and if so, what should it actually contain? The Commission of Inquiry into the CFMEU and Misconduct in the Construction Industry...
Josh has worked with more than 56 builders across Australia in the past 12 months. He did it almost entirely through word of mouth. No paid ads. No big marketing budget. Just a reputation built quietly over 15 years in the industry. That reputation rests on one thing:...
A deep dive into what is driving material price spikes, what the government has done, what it has not done, and the three scenarios that will shape the next six to twelve months of construction in Australia. Something changed on 28 February 2026. US and Israeli forces...
The Middle East is on fire. The Strait of Hormuz is choked. Oil is above $120 a barrel. And right now, thousands of Australian builders are about to find out the hard way just how exposed their supply chains really are. We've Been Here Before, But This Time It's...
The Cook Government has announced a major land release in Perth's northern corridor, unlocking capacity for 4,100 homes across Eglinton and Yanchep. The question now is whether the delivery pipeline can keep up. Announced this week by the Cook Government in Western...
A disruption to fuel distribution is creating new headwinds for Australian builders. Western Australia and New South Wales are both responding. But they are taking meaningfully different approaches to the same problem. The Problem on the Ground The construction...
Construction has the highest suicide rate of any industry in Australia. That is not a headline designed to shock. It is a fact that has sat in the background of every site safety briefing, every RUOK Day morning tea, and every quiet conversation between mates for...
If you have followed the housing debate over the past few years, you will have heard some version of this argument: too many migrants, not enough homes. It is a simple story. More people means more demand. More demand means higher prices. Cut immigration, fix housing....
Australian builders and plumbers are being warned to act now as escalating conflict in the Middle East begins to squeeze global PVC supply chains. Master Plumbers South Australia has issued a formal alert to members flagging emerging risks around the availability and...
For many builders, Continuing Professional Development appears on the calendar once a year. A reminder arrives. A few modules are completed. Certificates are downloaded. Points are logged. Licence renewal secured. Job done. But reducing CPD to a compliance exercise...
In a construction market where risk has become a daily conversation, a quieter story is unfolding. While some builders are navigating margin pressure, compliance shifts and tighter finance conditions, a different category of operator is scaling steadily: the...
Technology is moving fast. The builders who lean in now will be the ones still standing when it catches up. There is a lot of noise around AI right now. Every second LinkedIn post. Every conference keynote. Every software vendor promising to revolutionise your...
Australia’s peak residential building body has called for a sweeping overhaul of the National Construction Code (NCC), warning that decades of regulatory expansion have made the system increasingly difficult for builders to navigate and are contributing to slower...
In an industry often dominated by speed, cost pressure and constant change, some of the strongest stories still begin the old-fashioned way: with trade knowledge passed down through family, years on site, and a deep respect for doing the job properly. That is the...
For generations, construction has often been viewed as an industry built on independence. Builders started their own businesses, learned through experience, and carried the weight of delivering projects largely on their own shoulders. Knowledge was typically earned...
In an industry defined by tight margins, shifting regulations and relentless delivery pressure, one challenge continues to rise above the rest: keeping good people. Across Australia’s residential and commercial construction sectors, builders are still feeling the...
Anyone who has spent time on a jobsite knows the scene. A tradie opens the back of the van looking for one specific tool, only to spend ten minutes digging through stacked boxes, tangled gear, and half-organised shelves. Tools shift during transit, equipment gets...
In an industry often defined by speed, volume targets and aggressive sales funnels, one Queensland builder is taking a very different approach. Rather than pushing customers quickly toward contracts, Avia Homes has built its reputation around something that feels...
For many builders, expanding beyond the capital cities appears to be a natural next step. Regional Australia continues to attract population growth, lifestyle migration and new infrastructure investment. But while the opportunity is real, the challenge is often...
In construction, the story usually goes like this: win more work, hire more people, build more homes, and the rest will sort itself out. But for many builders, success does not arrive like a trophy. It arrives like weight. That is the core message from The Good...
A Tasmanian manufacturer is betting that the next wave of residential building in Australia will be led by operators who stop chasing the cheapest option and start defending long term performance. That was the central theme in today’s Good Builder Podcast conversation...
Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour is not where most Australian builders would expect to take a tour of a residential construction business. Yet that is exactly how The Good Builder podcast episode begins, with Stonewood Homes general manager Gregg Somerville walking past the...
A Sunshine Coast builder and a construction software founder say the difference between surviving and scaling is not more leads, it is cost control, clear processes, and systems that reduce mistakes before they repeat. When builders talk about growth, the conversation...
When Australia talks about housing, the conversation usually circles the same pressure points: supply targets, construction costs, interest rates, planning delays, and whether first home buyers can still get a foot in the door. In today’s episode of The Good Builder...
The Tasmanian Government has introduced legislation aimed at halting the implementation of new changes to the National Construction Code in an effort to reduce red tape, provide greater certainty to builders, and ease cost pressures on home buyers. The proposed...
In an industry where long hours and thin margins still feel normal, Tasmanian builder and educator Kyle Zanetto is pushing a different message: builders can run calmer, more profitable businesses without losing craftsmanship. Zanetto, founder of Zanetto Builders and...
Australia’s construction sector is under pressure. Costs remain elevated. Skilled labour is tight. Carbon reduction targets are no longer optional. And traditional construction methods are struggling to deliver projects at the speed and certainty developers require....
When most people talk about business growth, they reach for the obvious levers: more leads, more staff, more machinery, more margin. In manufacturing, especially, the conversation tends to centre on output, efficiency, and “getting things out the door”. But on a...
When Aaron sat down with Hayden Ashton at the Avia Homes office, the conversation does not begin with volume numbers, growth targets, or glossy branding. It starts with something far more foundational: how a person becomes the kind of leader an industry can trust....
Australia’s largest home improvement retailer, Bunnings Warehouse, has begun selling flat-pack backyard pods in selected stores and online, stepping into the fast-growing modular and prefabricated building space at a time when the country faces a significant housing...
A new residential pool project emerging from Perth is drawing industry attention, with Tristan Peirce Landscape Architects and Contec Australia collaborating on what is believed to be the first 3D concrete printed swimming pool designed for delivery in Western...
As building and trade businesses mature, the conversation around finance often changes. What may have worked for a builder or trade completing their first few projects does not always translate seamlessly as volumes increase, project complexity grows, or business...
Australia’s building and construction industry is heading into one of its most consequential regulatory years in recent memory, with the preview of the National Construction Code (NCC) 2025 and a parallel push to modernise how the Code is developed, accessed and...
In an industry where scale often comes at the cost of connection, G.J. Gardner Homes has spent more than four decades proving that growth and local accountability do not have to be mutually exclusive. This year marks 43 years since the business was founded in 1983 by...
Green Timber Technology (GTT) has commenced delivery of 32 new social housing dwellings across Western Sydney as part of a broader state-led push to accelerate housing supply in New South Wales. The project, awarded late last year under a $24 million Design and...
Construction capacity in regional Western Australia has received a boost following a new investment in prefabrication infrastructure in Esperance, supported through the State Government’s Regional Economic Development (RED) Grants program. Local builder Drake-Brockman...
When the NSW Government quietly launched a $1 offer for architect-designed homes, it sounded almost too good to be true. For the price of a chupa chup, buyers could secure a professionally designed home that normally costs tens of thousands of dollars to commission....
For many builders, insurance sits quietly in the background of the business. It is renewed once a year, filed away, and only thought about again if something goes wrong. But among the most professional, well-run building businesses, insurance plays a very different...
Winning a client feels like success. Signing a contract feels like relief. But for experienced builders, the most dangerous moment in a project is not the enquiry. It is the moment you say yes. Where builders really lose money Builders rarely lose money because...
Most buyers don’t wake up one morning and decide to call a builder. They browse.They research.They hesitate. They spend weeks, sometimes months, quietly exploring designs, costs, zoning rules, and feasibility before ever reaching out. This early stage is where the...
In construction, reputation has always mattered.Referrals, repeat clients and trust built over years can be undone quickly when allegations take hold. What has changed is not the importance of reputation, but the speed and scale at which it can now be damaged. Once,...
Tasmania’s construction industry has received a targeted boost, with the state government committing $150,000 to a new support initiative aimed at helping builders and construction workers manage business pressure and mental health challenges. The 12-month pilot,...
South Australia has recorded another strong year-on-year lift in housing supply, with new data showing building approvals continue to climb as policy-driven investment reshapes the state’s development pipeline. According to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics...
In most sports, a second crack at the world title is rare. In bricklaying, it is almost unheard of. That is what makes Team Amuso so compelling. This month, Kilmore bricklayer Damian Amuso and his long-time mason’s tender Scott Law will once again represent Australia...
In a quiet suburban street in Warrnambool, one home is stopping traffic. Not because of size alone. Not because of price. But because it looks like it belongs in a fantasy novel. Complete with stone walls, a keep, gargoyles and even a moat, this three-storey...
Why the strongest builders are focusing inward as the market gets louder Spend enough time reading construction headlines and you’d be forgiven for thinking 2026 is a year builders simply have to endure. Interest rates move.Regulation shifts.Labour remains...
When the Federal Government expanded its low-deposit home guarantee in October, the intention was straightforward: help more first home buyers enter the market with just a 5 per cent deposit. But early data is now pointing to a familiar outcome. Rather than improving...
For decades, autonomy in heavy equipment has largely been a mining story. Remote haul trucks in the Pilbara, autonomous drills in Chile, machines operating where people simply cannot. But in January 2026, at CES in Las Vegas, Caterpillar made it clear that autonomy is...
Australia’s residential construction pipeline showed a strong late year resurgence in November 2025, with new data revealing a sharp lift in dwelling approvals driven almost entirely by apartments, townhouses and higher density housing. According to the latest release...
Australia’s residential construction pipeline showed a strong late year resurgence in November 2025, with new data revealing a sharp lift in dwelling approvals driven almost entirely by apartments, townhouses and higher density housing. According to the latest release...
Australia has quietly become one of the most interesting places in the world to build a house. Not the biggest. Not the flashiest. But some of the most thoughtful, design led and environmentally tuned homes anywhere on the planet. The latest sign that the world is...
A takeover proposal for BlueScope Steel is gaining momentum, with SGH Limited chief executive Ryan Stokes actively engaging major shareholders as expectations grow that any successful deal will need to exceed $15 billion. The approach, led by SGH Limited in...
If you relied solely on mainstream media to understand the construction industry, you would think the whole thing was collapsing in slow motion. Every other headline screams crisis.Builder collapses.Projects abandoned.Trades under pressure.Housing is broken.Industry...
After a record-breaking year of land sales in 2025, South Australia’s largest urban renewal project is preparing to release a further 200 residential allotments over the summer period, adding new supply to one of Adelaide’s fastest-growing growth corridors. The...
Redland City’s next wave of construction will be shaped less by individual development approvals and more by a series of strategic planning and infrastructure decisions now embedded in council’s forward agenda. Through its draft Corporate Plan 2026–2031, Redland City...
Australians poured more than $53.8 billion into home renovations over the past financial year, with Brisbane emerging as the nation’s single biggest renovation hotspot. Fresh data shows the Queensland capital alone accounted for more than $1.08 billion in approved...
Australia’s housing crisis has no shortage of proposed solutions. Planning reform, land releases, density changes and funding incentives are all part of the conversation. But one approach is gaining renewed attention from governments and industry alike: modular and...
For an industry that creates the largest purchase most Australians will ever make, home building has always been strangely anonymous. Cars wear badges. Phones carry logos. Furniture, appliances, even sunglasses proudly declare who made them. But builders? They often...
Queensland’s housing market has entered 2026 with momentum that continues to outpace the rest of the country, even as growth slows across Australia’s largest southern capitals. New property data shows Brisbane housing values rose 1.6 per cent in December alone, while...
For years the construction industry has spoken about digital transformation, yet much of the day to day work inside Australian building companies still relies on memory, individual experience and manual interpretation. Builders continue to navigate selections,...
In an industry often defined by pressure, margins, and timelines, the stories that matter most are rarely about rapid growth or scale. They are about process, discipline, trust, and people. Few journeys illustrate this better than that of Phil Vanderneut, now a...
In an industry where movement between brands is common and longevity is rare, Chris McNeil stands out for a different reason.He stayed. For more than two decades, McNeil built his career inside the G.J. Gardner Homes network. He sold homes, trained sales teams,...
If you want to understand where Australian home design is heading, you go to the source. Not the Pinterest boards or the display villages, but the research that sits behind how people want to live and why they choose the styles they do. That work is done quietly, more...
There are people in the construction industry whose influence extends far beyond product knowledge or technical capability. They are the people builders turn to when something does not make sense on site or when a problem needs to be solved quickly and cleanly. They...
Australia’s National Construction Code (NCC), the document that underpins how homes and buildings are designed and constructed across the country, is set for a significant rethink. In December 2025, the Australian Government released a discussion paper outlining a...
Online reviews have become one of the most influential forces on consumer decision making. For builders, they can make or break a year of work. What is emerging across the industry, however, is a concerning misuse of review platforms by a small group of homeowners....
In a construction industry crowded with look alike messages, loud promises and short term campaigns, trust remains the one thing that consistently cuts through. That was the central theme of a recent episode of The Good Builder Podcast, where Az sat down with...
For much of its history in Australia, modular construction has carried an image problem. For builders, clients and even regulators, modular was often synonymous with temporary structures. Site sheds. Mining accommodation. Demountable classrooms. Functional buildings...
The modular building sector in Australia is growing rapidly, but one of the biggest challenges for modular builders remains visibility. Modular builders often produce high quality homes, granny flats, tiny homes, site offices and other prefabricated structures, yet...
When wildfires tore through Los Angeles and surrounding regions in early 2025, destroying homes and displacing families across Altadena, Pacific Palisades, and parts of LA County, officials and builders were confronted with the same challenge that follows every major...
When Margins Are Tight, Bad Data Is Expensive Mark Corky has seen one pattern repeat across construction for decades. Most margin blowouts start at the beginning. Not because builders lack skill, but because they were working from incomplete or inaccurate information....
A Founder Who Saw The Problem First-Hand When Mark Corkery founded Onsite Scanning Solutions, it was not a business play. It was a response to the same frustrations builders face every day. After years working in scaffolding and design, Mark saw how often engineering...
When the new energy rules started rolling in, most builders asked the same question:How do we scrape to seven stars without blowing the budget? JG King asked a different one:What if we could make eight-star homes the default at no extra cost to the buyer? The answer...
Speed is the headline issue for builders right now. Every week, someone in the industry is talking about delays, bottlenecks or red tape. And while there’s plenty builders can’t control, one thing they absolutely can is who they partner with. That’s where trade...
Ask any builder who has been around for a while and you will hear a familiar story. The contract looked healthy. On paper there was eighty or a hundred thousand dollars in gross margin. By the time the last variation was done and the keys were handed over, the final...
The Queensland Government has awarded an $8.3 million construction tender for a new 18-unit social housing complex in Rockhampton as the region continues to grapple with one of the tightest rental markets in the state. Local builder Griffin Builders Pty Ltd secured...
How ScaleUp Smart is helping Australian builders protect their people, improve culture, and operate with less pressure. There’s a long-running myth in the construction industry that outsourcing is a threat, a shortcut that replaces local staff, weakens culture, and...
Master Builders Australia has confirmed Robert Shaw as its new National President, following last week’s annual general meeting. Shaw steps into the role at a pivotal moment for the building and construction sector, succeeding Craig Edmunds, who concludes three years...
As Victoria attempts one of the most significant planning overhauls in decades, the political battle over how and where new homes are delivered has reached a new boiling point. This week, Liberal Leader Jess Wilson confirmed that the Victorian Liberal Party will vote...
Australia’s housing crisis has become a defining challenge for governments, builders and communities. But amid debates about megaprojects, build-to-rent towers, and new masterplanned suburbs on the urban fringe, one piece of the puzzle has been hiding in plain sight....
Milwaukee Tool is strengthening its position in the professional carpentry market, unveiling two major additions to its expanding cordless range: the M18 FUEL™ 184mm Circular Saw and the 184mm NITRUS CARBIDE™ 24T Circular Saw Blade. Both products are engineered for...
As climate-driven disasters intensify and global housing shortages deepen, an Australian company is quietly becoming one of the world’s most important players in resilient construction. NXT TEC Ltd, headquartered in Perth and operating across international markets,...
Australia’s residential construction pipeline tightened again in October, with total dwelling approvals falling 6.4 per cent to 15,832, according to the latest seasonally adjusted figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The drop marks a reversal of...
For the first time in several years, smaller home builders across Queensland and Western Australia are quietly regaining momentum. They are not doing it by cutting prices or competing on volume. They are winning because buyers and developers are placing a premium on...
Australia’s construction numbers shifted again last week, and one detail is far more important than it first appears. Residential building rose, but engineering construction fell sharply. For home builders, that combination is more than a statistical quirk. It is a...
Australia’s housing crisis has already drawn in governments, super funds, and global private equity. Now, a new and unlikely pairing is stepping into the ring: a Melbourne investment manager with deep ties to Silicon Valley’s artificial intelligence boom, and a...
As Cyclone Fina tore through the Northern Territory and pushed a blanket of extreme heat across Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia, most of the headlines focused on power outages and storm damage. But for the construction industry, an equally serious...
New South Wales has taken another major step in its plan to rebalance the state’s housing supply, unveiling nine new architect designed mid rise apartment patterns that promise faster delivery of high quality homes across well located neighbourhoods. The release marks...
Australia’s housing system is under enormous pressure. Costs are up, timelines have blown out, labour is tight, and affordability continues to slide. With governments and industry now openly acknowledging the need for faster, smarter ways to build, one solution keeps...
Queensland’s construction sector has been asking for a reset and the state’s new government says it’s finally delivering one. The QLD Government has passed the next stage of its Building Reg Reno reforms, calling it a practical, industry-led push to modernise the...
Why Queensland’s official statistics portal has become an essential tool for forward thinking builders Every successful building business relies on good data. But while many builders look to private platforms for market insight, one of the most powerful sources of...
How builders are using predictive analytics to stay ahead of the market In the race to identify the next high growth suburb, timing is everything. For builders, entering a market too late means facing higher land costs, tighter margins, and more competition. Entering...
South Australia is stepping up its investment in skills to meet the growing demand for workers across the construction industry, with vocational education and training (VET) funding rising nearly 10 per cent in 2024, the largest allocation since records began....
How builders and suppliers use national property data to plan with confidence Every builder knows that markets move in cycles, but predicting when the tide will turn is never simple. While many rely on agent updates or quarterly reports, those who want to stay ahead...
Every builder knows the feeling. A client walks into the display home, excited but uncertain. They’ve been browsing for weeks, talking to multiple builders, collecting quotes, and comparing designs. What they really want is clarity, yet most of the industry still...
A Bold Step Towards Faster, Smarter Building Western Australia has launched a major push to modernise its home building industry, unveiling a $50 million Housing Innovation Fund (HIF) designed to fast-track new technologies and manufacturing capability in housing...
The Western Australian Government has unveiled a major new initiative to support the state’s home building sector, launching the WA Builder Support Program, a partnership between government and industry designed to strengthen the state’s registered builder network and...
When it comes to marketing in the construction industry, few have managed to turn a simple product into a standout brand like Makayla from Lauxes Grates. In an industry that often treats marketing as an afterthought, she has helped transform a niche product into a...
Beerwah, Toowoomba, Mackay projects lead $5.6 billion push to deliver 53,500 homes by 2044 Queensland’s new Crisafulli Government has begun rolling out one of the largest social and affordable housing programs in the state’s history, fast-tracking more than 5,600...
Building Smarter: Green Timber Technology and White Picket Fence Forge Partnership to Halve Build Times In a move set to reshape how new homes are built in Australia, Green Timber Technology (GTT) has joined forces with integrated property group White Picket Fence to...
KDL Property Group has more than doubled its residential development pipeline to almost $2 billion, following more than ten strategic acquisitions across South East Queensland’s key growth corridors. The acquisitions add around $1.2 billion in end value to KDL’s...
A New Way Home For years, Sean Brown watched property prices climb beyond reach. Like thousands of long-term renters, he had come to terms with the idea that home ownership might never happen. But this week, standing at the doorstep of his own home, Sean became the...
New South Wales has hit a turning point in its housing story, recording more than 50,000 new housing approvals over the past year, the strongest showing since 2023. After years of sluggish activity and rising frustration among developers and builders, this latest data...
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has sounded the alarm over a sharp rise in cyberattacks targeting Australia’s construction sector, with criminals using fake emails to steal millions from builders, suppliers and homeowners. The scam, known as Business Email...
Australia’s construction pipeline showed renewed signs of life in September 2025, as building approvals climbed sharply on the back of a surge in apartment projects. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the total number of dwellings approved rose 12...
In a landmark move for Australia’s labour movement, workers in the timber, furnishing and textiles sectors have formally broken away from the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU), signalling a seismic shift for one of the country’s most powerful...
By TGB Editorial National Australia Bank (NAB) has unveiled one of the largest private-sector commitments yet to tackle the housing crisis, announcing plans to lend at least $60 billion over the next five years to improve housing affordability and supply. In an open...
The Queensland Government has approved the next round of funding from its $12.5 million Scheme Supply Fund, supporting nine regional councils to modernise their planning schemes and unlock new housing opportunities. The $1.4 million package, announced by Deputy...
By The Good Builder Editorial Team More Than a Cost Saving Exercise When builders hear the word “outsourcing,” they often picture spreadsheets and savings. It sounds like a financial decision, a way to cut costs or plug a gap in the team. But for many forward thinking...
By The Good Builder Editorial Team Building Faster, Smarter, and Fairer At a time when the building industry faces acute labour shortages and mounting pressure to deliver more homes, Western Australia’s latest social housing initiative is showing what can happen when...
At a time when builders are facing material price volatility, workforce shortages and tight margins, Australia’s Building Ministers have taken a decisive step aimed at bringing stability back to the construction sector. Meeting last week, Commonwealth, state and...
A Long-Awaited Shift in Momentum After years of frustration over delays, cost blowouts and supply chain chaos, Australia’s home building industry has finally been handed some good news. According to Master Builders Australia’s (MBA) analysis of the latest Australian...
A New Commander in Construction After years in conflict zones and political war rooms, Matt Moran has a new mission rebuilding confidence and capacity in Western Australia’s construction industry. As the newly appointed CEO of Master Builders WA (MBAWA), Moran brings...
Australia’s construction industry continues to evolve and women are increasingly leading that change. The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) has opened applications for the 2026 Bright Ideas Grants, offering up to $30,000 in seed funding for...
What began as a fringe concept is now gaining momentum. Prefabricated construction, long viewed as a niche reserved for remote projects or temporary housing, is rapidly becoming one of Australia’s most promising pathways to faster, smarter, and more sustainable...
When builders talk “finance,” it’s usually about progress claims, late payments, or the next client’s pre-approval. But as finance broker Barry Wilkinson from SW Brokerage explains, the real wins; fewer headaches, faster builds, stronger margins start long before a...
Queensland’s housing delivery model shows the power of collaboration done right In just 12 months, EveryOne Homes, the affordable housing division of Metricon has completed 100 new homes across South East Queensland, marking a major milestone under the Queensland...
A Deep Dive into Queensland’s FY25 Housing Data Queensland’s housing market continues to defy national slowdowns, posting a 13.2% rise in new house approvals across the 2024–25 financial year, according to the latest report from OpenLot, using Australian Bureau of...
Australia’s most powerful construction union is once again under fire, this time, not over wages or safety, but credibility. New revelations that CFMEU Victorian and Tasmanian boss Zach Smith directed a subordinate to secretly meet with underworld identity Mick Gatto...
In late 2025, the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC), backed by the Queensland Government, will begin rolling out digital licences via the Queensland Digital Licence app. It’s a change that’s been years in the making, designed to modernise an...
From Tradesman to Builder Every year, skilled carpenters and tradespeople take the leap into running their own building company. They have the craftsmanship, the drive, and often a strong reputation on the tools. But too many find out the hard way that being a good...
South Australia has emerged as the national frontrunner in apprenticeships and traineeships, with fresh data revealing the state is bucking national trends by attracting and retaining record numbers of new workers across priority industries, particularly the trades....
When you picture the future of construction, your mind probably goes to high-tech composites, robotic bricklayers or modular systems rolling out of factories. But what if the answer to greener, cheaper building materials was sitting in your recycling bin? That’s the...
On 22 September 2025, the National Construction Industry Forum (the Forum) formally endorsed the Blueprint for the Future. It’s a document years in the making, but its endorsement signals something bigger than another policy paper—it’s the start of a cultural reset...
As power bills climb, Australians are rethinking how they design and build their homes. More than three-quarters of households received a shock energy bill in the first quarter of 2025, according to Compare the Market. With another hot summer looming, hopeful home...
If you’ve ever stacked software on software and still felt blind on margin, schedule or cash flow, this one’s for you. Ryan Lee, Director of Construction Services at Evolve Automation, has sat on both sides of the fence (client-side development and big-volume...
Every now and then you spot a builder who’s not just making nice houses, they're pushing the industry forward. For us, that was Jackson Digney from Enduro Builders in South Australia. He’s open about process, nerdy (in the best way) about membranes and airtightness,...
Allegations of coercion, inflated project spending, and opaque financial flows have thrown a spotlight on Incolink, a union-linked redundancy and benefits fund now operating in South Australia. Builders claim the scheme, closely tied to the Construction, Forestry,...
The Minns Labor Government has opened Expressions of Interest for its landmark Pre-sale Finance Guarantee (PFG) program a $1 billion revolving fund designed to unstick housing projects languishing between approval and construction. Announced on 22 September 2025, the...
When Dream Homes Meet Harsh Reality Imagine spending 12 months with an architect, shaping your perfect home, only to be told by a builder that it is hundreds of thousands over budget. According to Jared, builder and creator of B4UBuild, this is not the exception. It...
The NSW Government has unveiled the Planning System Reforms Bill 2025, a sweeping attempt to simplify and modernise a system many say has become one of the state’s biggest barriers to housing supply. For nearly half a century, the Environmental Planning and Assessment...
For nearly two decades, Nhulunbuy in Northeast Arnhem Land has seen little in the way of new residential construction. That is now changing, with a landmark $7 million housing initiative breaking ground and signalling a new chapter for this remote Northern Territory...
By The Good Builder Editorial Victoria is on the verge of a planning shake-up that could transform suburban backyards into homes for the next generation of families. The Allan Labor Government this week confirmed new streamlined rules will slash subdivision and...
Australia’s building codes have always leaned heavily on climate data. Whether it’s energy efficiency, condensation management, or alpine conditions, climate zones shape the way homes are designed, approved, and constructed. Now, the Australian Building Codes Board...
When the NSW Government handed over the keys to three new police homes in Coonamble last month, the headlines focused on recruitment and retention. But for builders, tradies and suppliers, there’s another story here: the pipeline of work that key worker housing...
By The Good Builder Editorial Team The Crisafulli Government has announced a major biosecurity push in South East Queensland, delivering free fire ant treatment kits to more than 64,000 households. Residents in suppression zones across Logan, Ipswich, Redlands, and...
The ACT construction sector is on the brink of a cultural reset. In a move set to ripple across the industry, the ACT Government has announced it will embed the Culture in Construction Standard into every government-funded infrastructure project. The initiative,...
Australia’s home building industry is on track for more than one million new housing starts over the next five years, according to the Housing Industry Association’s (HIA) latest quarterly Housing and Economic Outlook Report. The upgraded forecast lifted from 986,000...
Brisbane has officially joined the ranks of the economic heavyweights. For the first time in history, the city’s economy has broken the $200 billion barrier, marking a defining moment in its rise as one of the fastest-growing urban economies in Australia and the Asia...
South Australia has emerged as the nation’s frontrunner in residential construction, with new data showing record levels of building activity and economic contribution. The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures reveal that in the June 2025 quarter,...
One of the largest affordable and social housing construction programs in Western Australian history has reached a key milestone, with three builders locked in to deliver 1,146 new homes across the Perth metropolitan area. The Cook and Albanese Labor Governments...
When you talk to people across the building industry in Australia, New Zealand, or the United States, there’s one name that comes up again and again: Conrad Gardner. For many, Gardner isn’t just a familiar face from G.J. Gardner Homes – the global franchise network...
Australia’s housing crisis isn’t just about land supply, material costs, or red tape. It’s also about people and right now, the industry doesn’t have enough of them. Under the federal government’s Housing Accord, states and territories are expected to deliver 1.2...
Australia’s housing crisis has been defined by bottlenecks, long waits for approvals, shifting regulatory standards, and a market unable to meet demand. At the Economic Reform Roundtable held in Canberra last week, the Albanese Government announced a series of reforms...
Victoria’s construction sector is under renewed scrutiny as WorkSafe ramps up prosecutions and inspections, warning builders that cutting corners on safety will not be tolerated. New data shows construction remains one of the state’s most dangerous industries,...
Why affordability won’t shift until governments fix their side of the equation The conversation we’re not having There’s no shortage of talk about productivity in construction. Industry panels, government taskforces, and think tanks keep asking the same question: how...
A Quiet Revolution in Construction In a Queensland factory, two workers recently assembled a light-gauge steel floor system in just three hours. Traditionally, that same task would take a team of skilled welders an entire day. This is Modfloor in action, one of the...
We talk about safety on site all the time. Hard hats, boots, fall protection it’s second nature. But in 2025, there’s another kind of safety we can’t ignore: protecting our businesses from cyber threats. If you think hackers only go after banks and big corporations,...
The wait is over...the Goop Guys are officially hitting the road as the 2025 Dunga Rally kicks off tomorrow, 21 August. This year, the rally means more than just dusty roads and backcountry detours. For the Goop team, it’s a family affair and a mission with purpose....
Every state is talking about faster housing approvals. But as good builders know, talk doesn’t pour footings. We’ve dug through the actual rules and results to see which ones can shave days off your timeline this month, and which are still promises on paper. The...
Queensland’s bricklaying trade is set for a skills boost, with the Australian Brick and Blocklaying Training Foundation Ltd (ABBTF) rolling out its Lay the Way pre-apprenticeship program across Logan, Ipswich and Far North Queensland. Funded under the Crisafulli...
From the Coast to the Community; A Celebration of Building Excellence A striking coastal home on Zilzie Cliff, a revitalised sailing club, and a state-of-the-art trade training facility topped the honours at the 2025 Master Builders Central Queensland Housing &...
From Damp Tarmac to the Podium Queensland Raceway’s return to the Carrera Cup calendar brought challenging wet conditions, and an impressive P2 finish for Brett Boulton in the MyConstruct Porsche. The Pro-Am podium came at the halfway point of the championship and...
As housing pressures mount across the country—from workforce shortages to material inflation—builders and developers are increasingly exploring new ways to deliver faster, more sustainable homes. And at the centre of this next frontier? A machine that prints walls. 3D...
When Australians think capital growth, most instinctively imagine inner-city blue-chip suburbs: tree-lined streets, heritage homes, and that magic “within 15km of the CBD” radius. But the data tells a different story—one that’s unfolding far beyond those well-known...
The Queensland Government’s new home ownership initiative, Boost to Buy, is barely out of the gate — and it’s already making waves. In just weeks since the announcement, more than 11,000 aspiring first home buyers have registered their interest in the $165 million...
Brisbane Land Prices Break Records Brisbane has officially overtaken Melbourne to claim the title of Australia’s second-most expensive capital city for land — behind only Sydney — with median land values now reaching $1,623 per square metre, or $702,000 for an average...
What the construction industry’s biggest data breach means, and what builders need to do now. Australia’s largest home builder, Metricon Homes, has confirmed it has fallen victim to a ransomware attack by international cybercriminal group Qilin — with hackers claiming...
“Culture is everything. If you don’t have a good culture, you have nothing.” – Kim Allen When Kim Allen speaks about construction, it’s never just about building walls – it’s about building people, culture, and opportunities. A familiar guest on The Good Builder...
A New Way to Buy There’s a quiet revolution happening on new home sites across NSW. And no, it’s not a new building material or solar innovation—it’s in the financing. A growing number of builders are adopting “build now, pay later” finance models, with schemes like...
A Career Built on Curiosity and Collaboration Recently we had the pleasure of sitting down with Phil Densley, Client, Brand, and Marketing Manager at Atrio Property. For Phil the journey into property and development has been one of curiosity, creativity, and a...
Brisbane’s rental market gets a boost as the state government partners with the private sector to deliver nearly 400 new homes under its Build-to-Rent pilot program. New Approach to Tackle an Old Problem Queensland’s housing landscape is undergoing a major shake-up....
Cairns is set for a shake-up in housing approvals – and it’s looking like a win for builders, developers, and homeowners alike. The Crisafulli Government has approved $350,000 in funding for Cairns Regional Council under the Scheme Supply Fund’s Pathway 2 program. The...
The Albanese Government has committed $54 million to accelerate modular and prefabricated construction, signalling a shift toward advanced manufacturing as a long-term housing solution. But will it be enough to cut through planning bottlenecks? A National Pivot to...
The Malinauskas Government has unveiled a bold plan to accelerate housing delivery using modern prefabricated construction methods. Could this be the blueprint for the future of affordable housing across Australia? Prefab Homes: A Fast-Track Solution for Housing...
Australia’s home building sector faces a reality check. Master Builders Australia Chief Executive Denita Wawn has delivered a stark warning: without immediate reforms, Labor’s ambitious plan to build 1.2 million homes by 2029 will fall short. Fresh figures from the...
Ford is raising the bar for mid-size pickups with the introduction of the Ranger Super Duty, a truck engineered for one thing: serious work. Set to hit Australian roads in 2026, this heavy-duty variant is purpose-built for the toughest jobs in construction,...
On the same day they celebrated a major milestone, their 100th BIAX Foundations slab, RYSE Construction launched an initiative that proves leadership in this industry goes far beyond bricks and mortar. It’s called RYSE Up, and it’s about taking a stand against...
When you’ve spent 25 years helping builders protect homes, you learn that real success isn’t just about products, it’s about people. That same spirit is taking Goop Guys beyond builds this August as they gear up for one of the Sunshine Coast’s most iconic charity...
By The Good Builder Editorial Team In an industry known for shifting timelines and constant client pressure, one builder is drawing a firm line in the sand — and thriving because of it. “We have a 10 to 12-week contract process,” says Aletha Walters, co-owner of...
When you think of golf days in construction, it’s easy to picture the beers, the banter, and a few questionable swings. But on Friday 18 July, AVIA Homes is hosting a charity golf day with a far more serious goal in mind, raising awareness and funds for mental health...
THE TSUNAMI OF INHERITANCE IS HERE Australia is on the edge of the largest wealth transfer in its history. Over the next 20 years, Baby Boomers will pass down an estimated $3.5 trillion in property, assets, and cash, a figure that dwarfs anything we’ve seen before....
A Cautionary Tale for Builders Medco Residential Pty Ltd has been fined $10,000 and formally reprimanded by the State Administrative Tribunal after being found guilty of unconscionable and misleading conduct. The case, involving unjustified demands for progress...
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s speech at the Crown Hotel in Sydney on 4 July 2025 painted a picture of optimism for Australia’s future. On paper, it sounds good — a booming manufacturing sector, clean energy jobs, more housing, better approvals processes, and...
By The Good Builder Every builder wants the same thing at handover: a happy client and a smooth job behind them. But too often, the little things — like unresolved electrical decisions or last-minute variations — become the problems that derail timelines, frustrate...
From high-density studios to suburban subdivisions, the micro apartment debate is heating up Would you live in a space smaller than most living rooms? In Perth, a new $22 million development has been approved to build 88 micro apartments, most just 26 to 28 square...
By The Good Builder In an industry grappling with rising build costs, labour shortages, and time-poor supervisors, the strength of builder–trade relationships is being tested more than ever. And according to Alan Brannick, founder of New Home Electrical Specialist,...
As Australia works to meet its ambitious target of 1.2 million new homes by 2029, a parallel trend is helping shape the market: demolitions.New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows over 20,000 dwellings were approved for demolition in the 12 months to...
The Queensland Government has released a draft Queensland Housing Code (QHC) for consultation, and it could mark a significant shift in how homes are designed, sited, and approved across the state. For builders, certifiers, and developers working across multiple...
Sunshine Coast locals question the broader impact of eradication efforts as treatment programs intensify Summary A confirmed fire ant nest in the fast-growing suburb of Baringa has prompted immediate eradication measures, but with concerns mounting across the Sunshine...
Summary: The number of buyer’s agents in Australia is exploding, but many are entering the industry with little to no experience in construction, negotiation, or due diligence. REBAA has issued a national call for stronger licensing, while builders are left asking:...
Sunshine Coast event helps builders unlock real value and connect with industry Members of Master Builders Queensland on the Sunshine Coast are invited to a relaxed networking event on Monday, June 30, designed to help local builders and trades get more from their...
Summary: In a recent Sky News interview with Tim Gilbert, Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn delivered a clear message to the construction sector. With building costs rising more than 40 percent, delays blowing out by up to 80 percent, and critical trade...
Summary: Australia’s steel sector is bracing for impact following the United States decision to double tariffs on imported steel. While the direct export effect may be limited, builders should be alert to potential shifts in global supply chains, changes in product...
Summary: WA is investing $100 million in vocational training, freezing TAFE fees and expanding fee-free construction courses. For builders and business owners, this means more young people on pathways into construction, and a stronger pipeline of future trades. Here’s...
Yesterday morning at the Master Builders Queensland breakfast in Birtinya, something really special happened. It wasn’t just a gathering for coffee and conversation. It was a moment where the industry paused to rally around one of its most loved people — Nicola Scott....
Summary: The fractures left by COVID-19 still run deep in Australia’s construction sector — but leaders like Joseph Kanaan, General Manager - Building Markets Selection Steel, are working to restore trust between builders, trades, and suppliers. His simple ethos? If...
Building for the Future event shows how open conversations can drive industry progress At a time when residential construction is facing both exciting opportunities and serious challenges, the value of connected, informed industry communities has never been higher....
Summary: Australia’s average home price has now crossed the $1 million mark — a headline that will dominate BBQ conversations and media cycles for weeks. But beyond the soundbite, this milestone carries both opportunity and risk for home builders. In this piece, we...
How Ryse Constructions is earning loyalty through systems, not shortcuts In the midst of labour shortages and volatile supply chains, many builders have found themselves chasing trade availability instead of trade loyalty. But Greg McGee, General Manager of Ryse...
There’s a simple truth in our industry; it’s easy to talk about mental health, but it’s a lot harder to create the spaces where those conversations actually happen. That’s why we started TGB Fridays, and why last Friday night’s very first event on the Sunshine Coast...
In collaboration with ScaleUp Smart. After a long day on the tools, the last thing most builders want is to spend their nights quoting, invoicing, or chasing paperwork. Yet for many small construction businesses, this is still the norm. It’s a grind that keeps the...
When most people think of carpentry, they picture the tools—the hammer, the nails, the timber. But at Carpentry Australia, the mission goes far beyond the tools. It’s about the people holding them. Speaking on The Good Builder Podcast, Nathan Quinn, one of the voices...
Recent changes to Noosa’s secondary dwelling rules are opening the door for tiny homes, modular builds, and long-term rental solutions. Here’s what’s changed and how to take advantage of it. With housing affordability under pressure and median house prices now at $1.3...
The first cold one hits different when it’s earned. TGB Fridays is on next week, Thursday 6 June, and we’re firing up for a killer afternoon with the legends who build this country. Come and Joins us for our very first TGB Friday on the Sunshine Coast....
Australia’s smart home market is experiencing significant growth, with 7.6 million households now owning at least one smart device. As technology becomes more integrated into daily life, homeowners are increasingly seeking residences equipped with smart features that...
The Reserve Bank’s latest rate cut has shifted the market landscape once again — and this time, home builders may find themselves in a uniquely advantageous position. On May 20, RBA Governor Michele Bullock confirmed a second rate cut for 2025, reducing the cash rate...
The Block is back in production, gearing up for another season of high-stakes renos and reality TV drama. It’s one of Australia’s most-watched building shows, and undeniably entertaining (at times). But here’s the problem: it’s not just The Block. We've heard from our...
Australia’s National Construction Code (NCC) is set for its most significant update in years — and if you’re in construction, this one’s not just about red tape. It’s about the future of how we build. From energy efficiency to fire safety, water damage to women’s...
In most industries, “meeting the standard” would be cause for celebration. In construction, it should be the starting point — not the destination. Yet time and time again, clients are told that their concerns are invalid because something has been built “to code.” For...
Dan Urquhart didn’t set out to become a builder. Like many in the trade, he fell into building young, armed with a nail bag, and a family legacy of construction behind him. But the story that unfolded wasn’t about timber and trusses, it was about burnout, mindset, and...
By Aaron Ng – CEO, The Good Builder The building industry is full of chatter — and not just on-site. Scroll through Reddit threads, niche Facebook groups, or forums like Whirlpool, and you’ll quickly uncover the rawest form of client sentiment. It’s not always...
In a bold move to stimulate its housing market and support aspiring homeowners, the Northern Territory (NT) Government has announced the extension of its HomeGrown Territory and FreshStart New Home grants until September 30, 2026. This initiative offers substantial...
South Australia has once again positioned itself as a national leader in strategic land development, with Renewal SA unveiling a $745 million pipeline of projects across 15 key precincts. The announcement includes opportunities for residential, commercial and...
In the world of home building, speed often dominates. How quickly can you sign, quote, build, and move on? But for Stephan Van der Walt, owner of Walt Construction and former professional rugby player, that mindset misses the mark. Because when you’re a home builder...
If you’ve been in the building industry long enough, you know the ups and downs can make or break a business. Few know that better than Murphy Group, a family-led construction group with 50 years of experience under its belt and scars from every economic cycle to...
The Reserve Bank of Australia meets today and tomorrow — and for the first time since the federal election, they could be about to hit the switch that changes the mood of the entire construction industry. A rate cut. And if the big four banks are right, we’re just...
If you’re in new home sales, here’s a truth bomb from Build Mentor’s Anthony Kirby (AK): “Don’t be the best-kept secret. Get on the shopping list. Then be so good they can’t ignore you.” This is AK’s 3-part formula for building a consistent pipeline — and it works...
Construction has officially commenced at Gracewood, a $100 million masterplanned estate set to reshape the small wheatbelt service town of Mallala, 60 kilometres north of Adelaide. With over 500 homes planned across 40 hectares, this bold regional housing project is...
There are people in this industry who quietly lead with strength, heart, and resilience, and Nicola Scott is one of them. In June, Nicola and her family are going all in, shaving it, colouring it, wearing it, to raise vital funds for breast cancer research through the...
Empathy and Aggression: The Two Traits Every Modern Builder Needs “You need to be empathetic. But you also need to be aggressive — in pricing, in marketing, and in delivery. That’s the paradox of being a good builder.” — Greg McGee, Director, Ryse Constructions In an...
We recently caught up with Tom Egan, founder of Avia Homes. If you haven’t listened to the podcast with Tom yet, head over to Spotify and check it out. In less than three years, Tom took Avia from an idea to a $100 million construction company. How? He did it by...
In a recent social media post, Housing Minister Clare O’Neil appeared to adjust the timeline for the Albanese government’s ambitious housing target. Originally, the goal was to build 1.2 million new homes between July 2024 and June 2029. However, in a 30-second video...
With over 40,000 New Zealanders moving to Australia last year, the highest migration in decades, builders have a golden opportunity to tap into a motivated and financially equipped buyer market.Many of these New Zealanders are settling in affordable estates across...
We were chatting on the pod the other day about the state of some local sites, and let’s just say… they weren’t inspiring. Rubbish piling up, offcuts scattered, fences falling over. One of our mates even said their neighbour took one look at a builder’s site and...
With increased density being pushed by State Governments, the townhouse and medium density space holds significant opportunity. But it isn’t without it’s challenges. Few know the ins and outs of medium density construction better than Ryan Lee, the...
There’s nothing like a major weather event to remind us of the reality of where we live. A bit over a week ago (remember Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred?), many Queenslanders and those living in northern New South Wales found themselves again revisiting their local flood...
Most builders got into the industry because they love building. Whether it’s the satisfaction of handing over a beautifully finished home, the challenge of managing a complex project, or the pride of knowing your work will stand the test of time, marketing was never...
Avia Homes Managing Director Tom Egan turned a near empty bank account and a new laptop into one of Queensland’s biggest building companies, delivering over 300 homes in their second financial year. With this impressive number of homes, they have managed a...
A new name has entered Australia’s home-building industry, but its leadership is anything but new. Wattle Court, spearheaded by Matt Hope, former NSW / WA / ACT Master Franchise of G.J. Gardner Homes, is making its mark by blending experience with a fresh approach to...
A major residential community is taking shape in Rockhampton, with Maas Group Holdings officially launching Ellida Estate, a 279-hectare master-planned development set to provide much-needed housing in one of Central Queensland’s fastest-growing corridors. Located...
The home-building landscape is shifting, and TGB caught up with leading interior designer and Open Homes Australia host James Treble, to understand three clear trends that builders need to be aware of in 2025. 1. Sustainability and Material Origins Matter More Than...
With 4 months to go, Metricon has clocked over 1000 contracts for Financial Year 24/25 based on their QBCC lodgements. After a slower 2023/24 by their standards with 604 contracts, Australia’s largest builder has bounced back emphatically in the current financial...
Builders are taking to all their sites across South East Queensland (SEQ) and northern NSW today to prepare for the impending arrival of Cyclone Alfred. With an estimated arrival Thursday afternoon to Friday morning, building sites from Tewantin to potentially...
For those not in the industry, you may not understand the size and importance of the Wholesale Home Builder. If you are in the industry, you should be asking how and why this B2B model is becoming so prominent and successful. In the 23/24 FY, the wholesale...
Display homes are often the most significant investment a builder will make - but do they work? And if you build one, what are the secrets to making it a success? We spoke with two industry experts: Tony Gall, GM of Retail at Creation Homes, who has overseen the...
In the majority of home building contracts across the country, there is a liquidated damages clause. The clause allows that if the builder doesn’t complete the home within the allotted time in the contract, the client will be able to claim a daily rate every day...
Brisbane, QLD – Thousands of homeowners, renovators, and industry pros flocked to the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre from February 21-23 for the Brisbane Home Show, eager to explore the latest in home building, design, and technology. From spectacular...
If you’ve raised a child in the last decade and a half, chances are Lightning McQueen has made his mark somewhere in your home. Whether it’s a die-cast toy buried in a toybox, a favourite t-shirt worn on repeat, or an iPad permanently looping Cars, this iconic red...
Builders often say the build itself is the easy part - it’s all the other things you have to do before and after work starts that take up time they simply don’t have. Getting a building approval can be one of the most frustrating steps, so we’ve asked Grant Johnsen...
If you want to see what your competitors are doing, or check out the latest trends in interior and exterior design, this weekend’s Brisbane Home Show will be worth a look. Featuring more than 150 exhibitors and some of the best speakers in the industry, the show will...
Franchising in the Australian home building industry has been around for more than 30 years and makes up around 1.7% of the market. You would be familiar with the biggest brands nationally - G.J. Gardner Homes, Stroud Homes and Cavalier Homes. Smaller up...
The Good Builder by definition is all about good builders, so every week we are going to have an informal chat with one of the best in the business to find out what makes them tick, and reveal a few secrets that even their workmates don’t know. And who better to start...
Wet weather may be a curse for many sections of the construction industry but for insurance builders there is a silver lining to every cloud. Managing Director Hew Williams from Watermark Constructions who has been in the insurance building industry for decades, said...
More than 50,000 Queensland builders could benefit from a state government initiative to reduce red tape and unnecessary costs. Minister for Housing and Public Works Sam O’Connor said the initiative, Building Reg Reno, will reduce paperwork for tradies. “Building Reg...
Creation Homes is one of the biggest builders in Queensland, finishing 6th in the recently released Top 25 Queensland Builders Half Time Report with 253 builds underway in the first six months of the 24/25 Financial Year. So where do they get their land in this tough...
Sometimes there’s a story from your childhood that gives a hint about how you are going to live your life. Sunshine Coast builder Wojtek Stainwald has one of those stories and it’s better than most. He was a small boy growing up in Communist Poland in the 1980s…...
Australia’s land lease sector is booming on the back of our aging population. About one in six Australians is now aged over 65 years, and more are downsizing into land lease retirement communities. The land lease model has quickly grown into a $12 billion...
One of New Zealand’s largest franchise home builders has entered the Australian market with a rapid roll-out strategy starting in South East Queensland. Executives from the Stonewood Group, which holds almost $1B in assets across Hotel and Commercial Real Estate...
Simonds Homes will consolidate its position as one of Australia’s biggest home builders after agreeing to acquire Dennis Family Homes (DFH) for $10 million. Simonds Executive Chair Rhett Simonds said the acquisition more than doubles the company’s product portfolio...
Last week we brought you the story of the Prime Minister’s commitment to give construction apprentices $10,000 to solve the capacity crisis. On the whole, the $626.9 million announcement was greeted favourably by the major...
What makes a 'good' builder? Your closest friend walks up to you and asks if you know a good builder. It's likely one of the biggest investments of their life. Who do you trust? It's simple: trust is based on certainty. Certainty that the builder will deliver the home...
Builders in Queensland have defied the doomsdayers and recorded strong growth in the first half of the financial year. Australian Construction Data’s The Top 25 Queensland Building Half Time Report shows Metricon at the top of the table with 751 builds underway - and...
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made an election year move to support apprentices working in residential construction by offering a $10,000 cash bonus for apprentices. With the industry struggling with serious workforce shortages this policy aims to build the...
One of Queensland’s most successful mortgage brokers has called for the Federal Government to increase the cap for its new Help to Buy scheme as the current $700,000 limit will make it nearly impossible to find a property in South East Queensland.
Two blokes and a warehouse of brilliantly bright workwear are trying to tackle the scourge of suicide in the construction industry one shirt at a time. After losing a close mate to suicide, Dan Allen and Ed Ross started Trade Mutts, a social enterprise workwear company by tradies for tradies.
Our nation’s home building industry is the backbone of this country and its economy.
There is no doubt our industry has challenges, however the traditional media consistently paints a dire picture of insolvencies, delays and unaffordability.
The reality is that many in the industry are doing a bloody good job delivering well-built homes with consistently happy clients and running sustainable, profitable businesses.
Every Australian should expect to come home safe and well from work each day – but in the construction industry that is all too often not the case. About 30 people are killed on building sites each year in this country, and according to SafeWork Australia, there are a...
Amanda Bulow is a construction industry professional, and founder and CEO of Awesome Women In Construction Estimating a job is a critical part of any project and getting it wrong can lead to financial and reputational damage. While many professionals have their...
LATEST NEWS
A builder focused entirely on first home buyers has put a price on all 26 of its Queensland designs. Eleven come in under $300,000, and the numbers show how much land a buyer can still afford before the state's grant cap applies. Price is the first question every...
Four rate rises in 2026 have not stopped Australians borrowing to build houses. What they are changing is which projects still stack up, and apartments, spec builds and renovations are feeling it first. The Reserve Bank lifted the cash rate to 4.60 per cent on 29...
A federal consultation closing 16 October asks whether Commonwealth funded construction work should come with minimum standards on conduct, payment, workforce and safety. No model has been chosen, but most states already use public work this way. The Federal...
A missed call. An invoice nobody expected. A weekend spent wondering what is happening on site. Melbourne builder Alex Palazzolo says that is where client trust is really lost, and he has built his business around closing those gaps. Most builders can tell you about...