The Latest TGB Headlines
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Here you’ll find our most recent articles, insights, interviews, and opinion pieces — all curated to help you stay ahead in the Australian home building industry. We publish daily to keep you informed on what’s shaping the future of building.
Nine Modular Terraces Are Taking Shape in Schofields. Here Is What the Project Tells Us About MMC Delivery in NSW.
A Landcom development in Sydney's north-west has become the first on-ground test of the NSW Government's push to mainstream modern methods of construction. The results will matter well beyond this...
The TGB Podcast hits 300 Episodes! Here Is What We Have Learned.
The Good Builder Podcast has hit 300 episodes. It started as a conversation between two people who cared about the industry. It has become something much bigger than that. Three hundred episodes....
The Man Who Took On the CFMEU Has Resigned. What Changed, and What Comes Next.
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...
The Builder Who Won’t Build Bad Houses: Dan Saunders on Legacy, Performance and Raising the Bar
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....
Victoria’s Townhouse Applications Jump 50 Per Cent. Here Is What the Numbers Actually Mean for Builders.
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...
Fee-Free TAFE Cuts Threaten 11,000 Queensland Construction Placements
A proposed change to federal TAFE funding arrangements could leave Queensland builders and trades short of the next generation of workers, just as the state's apprenticeship numbers were heading in...
Victoria Moves to Make Undocumented Variations a Criminal Offence
A new Victorian Bill introduced this week would make it a criminal offence for builders to agree to undocumented variations in two situations: when the total contract value reaches $20,000 or more,...
NSW Finds 670 More Homes on Government Land in Western Sydney’s Fastest-Growing Corridor.
Nine surplus government sites have been added to the NSW land audit pipeline, with more than 560 of the potential new dwellings concentrated in the Blacktown local government area. For builders...
After Growing 3.6 Per Cent in 2025, Australia’s Construction Industry Is Now Forecast to Contract. Here Is What Changed.
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...
Building Commission NSW Blitzes the North Coast. Unlicensed Work and Heat Pump Compliance Are Still the Standout Problems.
Operation Broadwater sent inspectors across 17 towns from Coffs Harbour to Tweed Heads. Most builders passed. But the issues that keep showing up across every regional campaign tell a clearer story...
AI Is Now the First Stop for Finding a Builder. Here Is How You Make Sure You Show Up.
Search engines are no longer the only game in town. Builders and trades who understand how AI tools find and recommend local businesses will have a real edge. Those who ignore it will lose work they...
Construction Is Quietly Outperforming. The Data Proves It.
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....
She Built a Career in Colombia. Now She Is Helping Build Sydney’s Hospitals.
Andrea Ramirez Pertuz arrived in Australia with a civil engineering degree and a plan. Her path to working on some of Sydney's biggest hospital redevelopments offers a practical lesson in how the...
Hickory Appointed to Rebuild Sydney’s Fire-Damaged Henderson Hat Factory as 124-Key Hotel
A heritage site almost lost to fire is about to become one of Sydney's most anticipated hospitality projects. Here is what the appointment of Hickory as builder tells us about the kind of work...
South Australia Posted the Strongest House Approval Growth in the Country in April. Nobody Seems to Have Noticed.
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...
South Australia’s $2.5 Billion Housing Package: What the 2026-27 Budget Means for Builders
The Malinauskas Government has handed down its second-term budget with housing at the centre. Across two fast-track funds, a new rent-to-own program, land releases and a dedicated construction...
Builders Tried Full AI. Most Pulled Back. Here Is What They Learned.
Eighty per cent of building businesses that went all-in on AI have since walked it back. What that reversal tells us about how AI actually fits in a building business. There was a moment, not long...
NSW House Approvals Fell 13.8 Per Cent in April. The Number Is Real. The Story Behind It Is More Complicated.
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...
Property Prices Are Falling. Here Is What That Actually Means for Builders.
The housing market is shifting fast. Sydney and Melbourne are down, smaller capitals are losing steam, and investor appetite is cooling after budget changes to property tax. Industry analysts are...
Queensland House Approvals Hit Their Highest Level Since August 2021. The Industry Is in a Very Different Place Than Last Time.
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...
House Approvals Top 10,000 for Third Straight Month, a Milestone Not Seen Since 2021
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...
Queensland’s First Three-Storey Factory-Built Social Homes Are Being Installed on the Capricorn Coast
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...
Apartment Approvals Slump Masks Solid House Demand in March Building Data
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...
Adelaide Is Building Australia’s First Suburb Exclusively for First Homebuyers. Four Hundred Homes Are Already in the Pipeline.
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...
The Recruiter Who Built Homes First: Luke Cotterell on What Builders Really Need in Their People
PrimeBuild Recruitment founder Luke Cotterell spent more than a decade on tools, in offices and on sites before he ever placed a candidate. That background is exactly why the builders he works...
The Non-Compete Ban Is Coming. Here Is What Every Building Business Needs to Know Before 2027.
A sweeping change to Australian employment law will void non-compete clauses for most workers from 2027. For builders, the implications run deeper than a contract update. Most builders have never...
Robots on the Tools, Homes in the Factory: The Construction Revolution the World Is Already Running
Modular and prefabricated construction is a $150 billion global industry and growing at 7 percent a year. Hong Kong is mandating it on public housing. Japan is using it to offset an ageing...
Queensland Opens the Books on Federal Environmental Approvals. What Builders Need to Know About the EPBC Inquiry.
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...
Whyalla Steelworks Sale Enters Final Stage as Governments Back $1.9 Billion Transformation
Two final bidders are now competing to take over the Whyalla Steelworks, backed by a combined government commitment of up to $1.9 billion. For builders and suppliers, what happens next has direct...
77 Rule Books, One Industry. Queensland’s Housing Code Reform Is Overdue.
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....
Building Work Surges 8 Per Cent. The Numbers Behind Australia’s Construction Recovery.
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...
Burly Residences Breaks Ground: What a $540 Million Beachfront Tower Tells Us About High-End Construction Right Now
The basement is done. The crane is ready. And one of the Gold Coast's most ambitious residential projects is about to become very visible. Here is what builders and suppliers need to know. There is...
He Started His Apprenticeship Before He Finished School. Now He’s a Qualified Plumber at 20.
Darcy Fletcher took a path most teenagers never hear about. His story makes the case that the trades pipeline needs to start earlier. Darcy Fletcher was 16 years old, sitting in a classroom in Ryde,...
Victoria’s Planning System Is Costing Builders Years. A New Industry Blueprint Wants to Change That.
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...
Canada’s $25 Billion Bet: Can a Government Housing Agency Actually Build Homes?
Canada has created a new government body to act as a housing developer, backed by $25 billion and a target to double construction output. It is one of the most ambitious interventions in a Western...
The New Zealand Recovery: What Surviving the Worst Construction Downturn Since 1991 Teaches Builders
New Zealand builders have just traded through what industry leaders describe as the worst recession since 1991. Some held their teams together. Some didn't. The ones who held on are now positioned...
Japan’s Construction Time Bomb: Who Builds a Country When the Builders Are Too Old?
Japan's construction workforce is ageing faster than it can be replaced. The country is 20 years ahead of Australia on this curve. What it is doing now, and what it is failing to do, is a preview...
Germany’s Housing Paradox: Record Demand, Collapsed Supply
Germany is running short of hundreds of thousands of homes while its construction industry reports a historic lack of orders. Understanding how the most engineering-proud economy in Europe ended up...
GRAYA Launches The Gallery, Bringing a New Benchmark to Racecourse Road
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...
Britain’s Building Problem: 1.5 Million Homes Promised, No Workers to Build Them
Labour came to power promising to fix Britain's housing crisis. The plans are ambitious. The construction workforce is not. Here is why the gap between target and delivery keeps growing. When the UK...
The Federal Government Just Released a $47 Billion Housing Plan. Here Is What You Need to Know.
The federal government has released its most comprehensive housing strategy in decades. Here is what is in it, what it means for the construction pipeline, and why builders should pay attention now....
America’s Tariff Trap: When Housing Policy Undermines the Industry Building Homes
The United States set out to protect domestic industry. Instead, its own builders are caught in the crossfire. Here is what happened when trade policy met a four-million-home deficit. There is a...
WA Government Sells Crown Land for $1 to Unlock 140 Key Worker Homes in Geraldton
A nominal land transfer and $8.7 million in infrastructure funding are clearing the path for a new key worker village in regional WA. Here is what the model means for builders working in markets...
Rod Frampton on What It Actually Takes to Run a Building Business
Over two decades in the trade, a custom home operation running seven-figure projects, and a brand new venture into pharmaceutical-grade clean rooms. Rod Frampton is the kind of builder most people...
Six Shortlisted as Karratha Housing EOI Reaches Next Stage
The Western Australian government's push to unlock residential supply in Karratha has cleared a significant hurdle, with six respondents shortlisted from a competitive Expressions of Interest...
NSW Toughens Fuel Price Laws. What It Means for Builders Watching Every Dollar at the Bowser.
New legislation passed through NSW Parliament this week makes it illegal for service stations to hide fuel prices or fail to report when a fuel type runs out. The changes come as fuel costs remain...
Three Months, Five Homes, Eight Stars. What Kincaid’s Prefab Project Proves About Modern Housing Delivery.
A Melbourne developer-builder has delivered architecturally designed four-bedroom homes in 90 days, selling out in three weeks. It is a proof of concept the industry has been waiting for. Building a...
The OGs of Offsite: Why Builders Need to Get Closer to Their Frame and Truss Manufacturer
FTMA CEO Kirsten Gentle has spent her career building a community around one of the most important sectors in Australian housing. Her message to builders is simple: you are closer to a solution than...
1,566 Lots. Sold Out. What Covella Tells Builders About Where Demand Is Heading in South East Queensland
AVID Property Group and Greenfields Development Company have confirmed the sellout of their Greenbank community. For builders operating in the Logan corridor, the numbers say something worth paying...
One in Six Businesses Hit by Supply Chain Disruption as Hormuz Closure Bites. What the Numbers Say for Construction.
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,...
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