The Urban Development Institute of Australia – Victoria (UDIA) is calling on Victoria’s political leaders to commit to a housing-first policy agenda to address the state’s worsening housing supply and affordability crisis.
As the peak body representing Victoria’s urban development industry, UDIA Victoria has established four priority reform areas to boost housing supply, improve affordability and restore Victoria as the nation’s premier destination for housing and development.
These four key priority areas are:
- Remove industry roadblocks and support a skilled, productive and resilient home
building workforce. - Guarantee land supply, streamline planning and accelerate approvals.
- Reform Victoria’s tax system to restore confidence, attract investment, and supercharge home building.
- Prioritise infrastructure investment in Victoria’s fastest-growing communities.
UDIA Victoria Chief Executive Officer Linda Allison said that Victoria remains an attractive place to live and work, but there needs to be a step change in reform and support for industry to make a meaningful impact to the housing crisis.
“Population growth has outpaced forecasts, construction costs remain high, capital investment has dried up, and planning delays are making this the most difficult and expensive time in living memory to build homes,” said Ms Allison.
“Victoria’s $27 billion development industry makes up around five per cent of the state’s total economic output and employs hundreds of thousands of Victorians, yet the sector is being held back or pushed to other states,” Ms Allison said.
“If we want more Victorians to be able to buy or rent a home, the next state government must adopt policies that make building homes more attractive and more affordable in the places people want to live. This means taking urgent action to unlock land, speed up approvals, invest in the right infrastructure and introduce tax reforms that enable housing delivery at scale. We simply can’t rely on the status quo any longer.”
“If the next government get this right, it will ensure Victorians are supported with more housing, future-ready infrastructure, more private investment, and a healthier industry,” Ms Allison concluded.
UDIA Victoria’s state election platform, Building Homes, Backing Industry, outlines its recommendations for major reform across Victoria’s development sector ahead of the 2026 Victorian State Government Election.
UDIA Victoria’s election platform document can be found at www.udiavic.com.au.
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