Victoria is the best of the worst in new residential building, according to new information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics confirming building work fell in the June 2009 quarter...
New residential work in Victoria increased by 6.6 per cent, in stark contrast to Queensland's 13.5 per cent drop and NSW's 2.1 per cent slide.
NSW accounts for 33 per cent of the country’s population, but only 22 per cent of its building activity.
"NSW shouldn't be lagging behind Victoria to this degree," said Urban Taskforce's chief executive, Aaron Gadiel. "In fact, NSW should be leading the pack."
Dr Harley Dale, chief economist at HIA, said that a recovery will emerge in new home building from late 2009, but projects getting bogged down in the approval process mean that it will be 2010 before a reasonable lift in construction activity emerges.
New building activity in NSW isn't just being halted by the approval process, but also by our state leaders who are campaigning against development, according to Urban Taskforce.
"For the sake of our state's well being, any NSW politician who has been campaigning against development needs to stop and re-think their position," Gadiel said.
"Bureaucrats who are used to saying 'no' to development proposals should take some lessons from their Victorian colleagues."
Seasonally adjusted work done on new residential dwellings fell by 1.5 per cent in the June 2009 quarter, 6.4 per cent down on the same time last year. Work done on detached houses fell by 2.7 per cent over the quarter.
