NSW approvals down in April: delivery challenge gets harder
The Property Council of Australia today said new ABS data for April showing a 10.5 per cent drop in approvals would deepen the state's housing delivery challenge.
Property Council NSW Executive Director Katie Stevenson said approvals over the last 12 months showed the NSW housing pipeline remained fragile with 48,065 dwellings approved.
"Approvals are volatile month to month, but what really matters is whether or not we are building a consistent pipeline and ensuring these homes can actually be delivered," Ms Stevenson said.
"Today's data show the 12-month data again flatlining at fewer than 50,000 dwellings – nowhere near enough to meet the scale of housing demand across NSW - we need to build 75,000 dwellings a year to meet our target.
"Approvals alone don't deliver homes – projects must stack up, secure finance and move through the system without delay."
Ms Stevenson said too many projects are still struggling to progress from approval to construction, despite strong underlying demand.
"Without the right policy settings and enabling infrastructure in place, even approved projects will remain stalled rather than move into construction."
The April ABS data comes just ahead of the Property Council's NSW Housing Summit 2026, bringing together senior leaders across government, development, finance and infrastructure to focus on housing delivery.
The one-day Summit, to be held in Sydney next week (Thursday 11 June), will examine how planning reform is translating into projects on the ground and what's needed to move more homes into construction.
"The conversation has shifted from driving reforms and setting targets to ensuring we are delivering the built outcomes we're striving for," Ms Stevenson said.
"Our Housing Summit will bring together the decision-makers responsible for planning, funding, enabling and delivering housing to focus on what needs to change to get more projects moving."
Ms Stevenson said this month's NSW Budget will be critical opportunity to improve feasibility and restore momentum across the housing pipeline.
"The State Budget is the single biggest lever government has right now to improve feasibility and unlock supply - that means reducing the cost burden on new housing, funding enabling infrastructure upfront, and accelerating planning pathways."
