Property Council ACT & Capital Region Executive Director Ashlee Berry said the Government's Planning (Missing Middle Housing) Amendment Bill 2026 was a strong step toward a faster, more workable planning system focused on delivery.
"This is exactly the kind of practical reform the industry has been calling for," Ms Berry said.
"If Canberra is serious about lifting supply, the system must stop duplicating steps that add delay but no real value. Cutting approval pathways and simplifying lease processes is how you get more homes moving, faster."
Ms Berry said the announcement reflected a reform agenda the Property Council has championed through its advocacy on missing middle housing, including its Unlocking 60,000 Homes work, its August 2025 submission on missing middle reforms, and the Capital Region Housing Summit in November last year.
"For more than a year we have been consistently making the case for more townhouses, terraces, duplexes, secondary dwellings and low-rise apartments in well-located suburbs close to shops, services and transport," she said.
"We have also been clear that zoning reform on its own is not enough – to get homes built, government has to tackle the process barriers, approval delays and administrative duplication that hold projects back."
Under the changes, small subdivision and consolidation applications will no longer be treated as significant development, reducing assessment timeframes and cutting unnecessary public notification processes. The reforms will also make it easier to vary crown leases to allow additional dwellings, including automatic entitlement for a secondary residence on single-dwelling leases.
"These are sensible changes that should make a real difference to delivery," Ms Berry said.
'A DA should focus on the design, siting and quality of new homes. It should not be bogged down by extra procedural steps that simply restate what the planning system already allows."
Ms Berry said the reforms were particularly important for unlocking better use of serviced land in Canberra's existing suburbs, where missing middle housing can expand choice for rightsizers, first home buyers, smaller households and families who want to stay in their communities.
"Canberra needs more housing diversity, not just more housing volume. Missing middle housing gives people more options at different life stages and makes better use of the infrastructure and amenity we already have," Ms Berry said.
