Sep 22, 2025
The Federal Government’s Economic Reform Roundtable has put housing supply at the centre of its agenda. Among the measures announced were a pause on non-essential National Construction Code (NCC) residential updates, additional resources for environmental assessments, the introduction of AI into planning systems, and an early start for the 5% deposit First Home Guarantee scheme.
The intent is clear: reduce regulatory burden, accelerate approvals, and stimulate market confidence. But as with all reform packages, the challenge is turning ambition into outcomes.
Author: Mark Pomeroy, Chief Executive Officer
The NCC has become increasingly complex, with major updates bundled into three-year cycles. Builders argue that these reforms increase cost and uncertainty. In response, government is considering a pause on further residential changes.
Streamlining the Code could deliver real benefits, but any reform must strike the right balance. Simplification should not mean dilution. Removing provisions that support sustainability, electrification or future adaptability may cut costs today, but will only increase costs in the years ahead when homes need to be updated.
We have seen across major projects that when standards are clear from the outset, they provide long-term certainty and avoid costly changes down the track. They give developers, investors and communities confidence that projects will meet both today’s needs and tomorrow’s standards.
Planning and environmental approvals remain a greater constraint on housing delivery than construction standards. Even once strategic plans are in place, delays can extend project timelines by years, adding significant holding costs and pushing affordability further out of reach.
Resourcing assessment teams and integrating AI into planning are positive steps, but the focus must be on consistent frameworks and clear timelines. Certainty in approvals will be as critical as any regulatory reform and project experience makes it clear that predictability matters as much as speed. When milestones are transparent and consistent, projects can be financed, scheduled and delivered with confidence.
The First Home Guarantee expansion, brought forward to October, allows buyers to enter the market with just a 5% deposit. While this measure supports access, it does not address supply. Without new homes coming online, additional demand risks inflating prices rather than improving affordability.
Demand-side levers must always be paired with delivery-side reforms to ensure genuine affordability outcomes. Time and again, policy settings have proven effective only when they are matched by the confidence that supply will follow. Incentives may open the market to buyers, but without additional housing delivery, affordability will remain out of reach.
The Roundtable’s commitments have been welcomed across much of the industry, with some calling them “big wins” and others cautioning against another “talkfest.” Both views highlight the central challenge: success will not be measured in policy announcements, but in homes delivered.
Delivery will be the real test of these reforms. Every day of delay adds cost and reduces affordability. Every inconsistency between jurisdictions erodes confidence for developers and financiers. And every missed deadline risks compounding a crisis that is already years in the making.
Experience across complex projects shows that timelines, accountability and coordination make the difference between momentum and mediocrity.
Good intentions falter when they are not matched with the systems, resources or leadership required to bring them to life. Without a focus on delivery, the Roundtable risks becoming another policy headline. With it, these reforms could mark a turning point in how Australia addresses its housing challenge.
Australia’s housing challenge requires coordinated reform that is pragmatic, consultative, and focused on delivery.
The Economic Reform Roundtable has put the right issues on the agenda. The task now is to ensure reforms move beyond intent to impact, cutting complexity without cutting corners, and delivering the homes Australia urgently needs.
At Pomeroy Pacific, we know that good policy only achieves its potential when matched with effective delivery. Our experience in navigating complex approvals, managing stakeholder expectations, and delivering at scale puts us at the heart of this challenge. As government and industry refine the path forward, collaboration will be essential, and we stand ready to help turn reform into real outcomes for communities.