The Property Council of Australia's South Australian Division says that latest ABS dwelling completion figures show South Australia is in a stronger position than many other states but warns the pace of delivery remains well below what is required to meet housing demand.
The latest quarterly data shows South Australia completed 3049 dwellings in the September 2025 quarter, down 15.6 per cent on the previous quarter, at a time when national completions rose by more than 7 per cent.
Over the longer term, however, South Australia is performing comparatively well. Over the past 12-months, dwelling completions are up 7 per cent, outperforming the national average of 2.3 per cent.
Property Council SA Executive Director Bruce Djite said that these figures reflected a positive long-term pipeline and policy intent, but this was not yet translating to on the ground delivery.
"South Australia deserves credit for implementing clear initiatives to fast track delivery such as the "Housing Roadmap" and acknowledging the scale of the challenge ahead of us as an industry. Having federal housing targets puts us in a better net position than before these targets existed," Mr Djite said.
"But the data is clear: delivery is not keeping pace with demand. In the September quarter alone, South Australia built only 68 per cent of the homes required, leaving a shortfall of around 1400 dwellings in just three months."
Mr Djite said that while recent housing initiatives and reforms, including the State Government's adoption of the Property Council's key election ask of a $500 million pre-sale guarantee fund will help unlock CBD apartments, more can be done to support greater housing choice and density beyond the CBD. We need more retirement living and aged care options, student accommodation, smaller homes and land lease models that help bridge the affordability challenges.
"This is not about a lack of ambition from government; it's about the execution. Without faster approvals, fast-tracked Code Amendments and improved infrastructure coordination, the gap between what's needed and what's delivered will continue to widen."
This is emphasised as labour and investment towards major projects such as the Torrens to Darlington tunnel upgrade, AUKUS and the new Women's and Children's Hospital increase pressure on the market.
The Property Council says the figures reinforce the need for immediate action, including measures already outlined in its election platform, Ready, Set, Grow: South Australia's Prosperity Roadmap, such as:
- Funding and coordinating enabling infrastructure to provide critical development-ready employment/industrial land and support jobs growth.
- Ensuring South Australia is the most competitive and attractive jurisdiction for local, interstate and international capital.
- Cutting red tape and streamlining approval processes to increase speed and certainty for investors, developers, builders and the consumer.
