ABS Building Approvals data released today show 5,063 homes were approved in NSW in June, a 13.2 per cent increase on the previous month, bringing the total number of homes approved since the start of the Accord to 102,314 in seasonally adjusted terms.
Property Council NSW Executive Director Katie Stevenson said the June data provides the clearest picture yet of the scale of the challenge facing NSW after the first two years of the Accord.
“June’s lift in approvals is welcome, but one stronger month does not close the gap after two years of the National Housing Accord,” Katie Stevenson said.
“NSW is still well short of the approvals pipeline needed to support delivery of 377,000 new homes by 2029.
Ms Stevenson said the data reinforces the importance of the NSW Government’s increasing focus on development feasibility, following yesterday’s announcement that councils will be required to plan for a 30-year pipeline of feasible housing opportunities.
“Yesterday’s announcement was important because it recognises that housing capacity on paper is not the same as housing that can actually be delivered,” Ms Stevenson said.
Ms Stevenson said the latest approvals data should also be read alongside recent ABS Building Activity figures, which showed NSW completed 44,700 homes over the 12 months to March 2026.
“Approvals are improving, but NSW is not yet approving, commencing or completing homes at the sustained pace required,” Ms Stevenson said.
“Approvals are not the end point, but they are the start of the pipeline. If we don’t lift approvals now, we won’t have the homes coming through in the years ahead.”
Ms Stevenson said the NSW Government had taken important steps, including the commencement of the Development Coordination Authority from 1 July and its renewed focus on feasibility-led strategic planning, but the next phase must be about execution.
“The Development Coordination Authority should help improve coordination and post-approval timing, but it must be matched by a broader focus on feasibility if we want approved projects to actually move into construction.”
Ms Stevenson said last month’s NSW Budget provided welcome stability and targeted wins for housing, including the expansion of the Pre-Sale Finance Guarantee, support for Modern Methods of Construction and measures to attract investment into build-to-rent and retirement living.
“These are positive steps, but the numbers show we need to go further,” Ms Stevenson said.
“Approvals will only translate into homes if projects are feasible, infrastructure is coordinated and the economics of delivery stack up.”
“We have made progress on planning reform. The priority now is making sure the economics of delivery line up with the ambition of the Accord.
“If NSW is serious about meeting its housing target, the final three years of the Accord must be about sustaining the lift in approvals, improving feasibility and converting more projects into keys in doors.”
