SLA missed ACT land targets by 4,902 homes, Castley says

Ms Castley said the comments contradicted Chief Minister Andrew Barr, who she said had argued in June that boosting housing supply was essential to improving affordability. She asked how the agency responsible for new housing could fix a problem it does not believe exists, and said Mr Barr should direct the SLA to release land faster and more cheaply.

Master Builders ACT chief executive Anna Neelagama rejected the claim that land supply is sufficient. She said unpredictable supply makes it nearly impossible for builders to plan projects, keep workers or invest in apprenticeships.

The numbers

Canberra Daily published a table of SLA land release measures, which it said came from SLA annual reports and was supplied by Ms Castley’s office. We have not opened the annual reports ourselves.

Over the six years to 2025-26, the table puts SLA releases at 16,051 potential dwellings, 4,902 short of the 20,953 targeted. Only 2025-26 beat its target; the other five years fell short.

• 2020-21: target 3,043, actual 2,561
• 2021-22: target 4,737, actual 2,626
• 2022-23: target 3,918, actual 2,473
• 2023-24: target 1,883, actual 1,824
• 2024-25: target 4,930, actual 3,734
• 2025-26: target 2,442, actual 2,833

Ms Castley said the cumulative gap is roughly 2.5 per cent of the ACT’s housing stock, or one-sixth of the government’s 30,000-home goal for 2030. Those ratios are her calculations, as reported by Canberra Daily.

Master Builders ACT also named slow planning approvals, extra licensing costs for builders and construction costs it said are up 50 per cent since the pandemic as obstacles to building.

What’s next

Master Builders ACT wants a steadier, more transparent land release program, an independent review of the release framework and a bigger private-sector role in land development. It warned the 30,000-home commitment is in jeopardy.

The ACT Government rejected the suggestion that Mr Davey’s comments contradicted its housing policy. A spokesperson said they were about land availability across the whole housing market, meaning new releases and existing homes.

The government said it is still committed to enabling 30,000 more homes by the end of 2030, via new suburbs, urban renewal, town and group centre development and medium-density reforms. It also pointed to stamp duty cuts and planning and zoning reform.

Canberra Daily did not report any new land release targets or a government response to the call for an independent review.

We covered an earlier ACT land story separately: Ginninderra East: 240ha, 3,000 homes on ex-CSIRO land open to comment.

This article reports only what Canberra Daily published and does not independently verify the figures.