There are more building permits in Queensland, which should translate into more structures like this one that plumber Lee Johnston has been working on. Photo: David Caird
A little-known city west of Brisbane is doing the heavy lifting when it comes to Queensland’s race to meet housing targets, with new figures revealing which regions are driving the state’s building permits.
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows Jimboomba, a rural suburb in Logan City, recorded the most building permits in the state with 2072 in the 2024/2025 financial year.
A total of 38,102 new homes were given the green light in Queensland last financial year, up from 32,976 in the previous financial year.
However, this is well below the 49,200 homes needed each year to meet Queensland’s share of the National Housing Accord, which aimed to deliver 1.2 million new homes across the country by mid-2029.
Jess Caire, executive director of Queensland at the Property Council of Australia, said Queensland’s share of the NHA would be equivalent to 246,000 homes by 2029.
“That’s roughly 49,200 homes per year, or 12,300 per quarter,” she said.
“It should also be noted that the Queensland Government has its own target of delivering 1 million new homes by 2044.”
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Jess Caire, Queensland executive director at the Property Council of Australia.
Queensland’s top ten top-performing SA3 regions achieved a combined 14,653 building approvals in the 12 months to June.
Jimboomba recorded 2072 building approvals, followed by Ipswich Inner (1887), Brisbane Inner (1865), Narangba – Burpengary (1767) and Caloundra (1535).
The data also shows which regions saw building permits plummet and rise between the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 financial years.
Worst hit was Surfers Paradise – North, where the number of building permits fell by 1,155 year-on-year, from 1,440 to 285.
In Mermaid Beach – Broadbeach, figures fell from 761 to 130 from one financial year to the next, while in Newstead – Bowen Hills only 28 new homes were built last financial year, compared to 569 the year before.
At the other end of the spectrum, the number of building permits in Brisbane City has almost doubled, from 476 in the 2023/2024 financial year to 1111 in the following twelve months.
In Kangaroo Point, the number of building permits went from 0 to 551 in the same time, and in Caloundra West – Baringa the number rose from 776 to 1,150.
The Urbex Somers & Hervey Estate in Townsville, a region where 947 homes were approved last financial year. Image: supplied
Ms Caire said Queensland was performing relatively well in building approvals compared to other states, supported by strong initiatives such as the Residential Activation Fund, which had helped boost activity.
“However, the scale of the challenge remains significant (as) the annual construction target represents volumes never before achieved on an annual basis,” she said.
“This makes it critical to focus on turning approvals into completions.
“A building permit alone does not give you a roof over someone’s head.”
Ms Caire said there is a need for all types of homes, in every price range and in every location, to combat the housing crisis.
“At the end of the day, it’s about getting more homes built — not just getting them approved,” she said.
“To achieve this, all levels of government and industry have a role to play and must work together to tackle the factors that make development unfeasible.
“We need to improve the feasibility of apartment buildings in areas with well-maintained transport links.
“We need to open up housing in the suburbs of the middle ring with different and diverse housing types.
“And we must provide much-needed new land supply by opening up land and planning these areas appropriately.”
Queensland is lagging behind on its National Housing Agreement. Photo: Brendan Radke
Ms Caire said Queensland had not yet achieved its single-quarter completion targets.
“Typically (Queensland has) been under target by roughly 3000-4000 homes per quarter, and obviously the challenge increases with every quarter we don’t meet the target,” she said.
“The enormity of the task … provides a unique opportunity to implement reforms, including streamlining approval processes, adopting innovative construction models and pursuing further tax reforms.”
ABS data shows Queensland delivered 33,719 homes in the 2024/2025 financial year, representing 13.71 per cent of the total target.
Economist Maurice Tapang of the Housing Industry Association warned that the actual increase in the number of homes could be significantly smaller than the figures showed, with demolition data suggesting that around 20 percent of homes started in a given quarter are matched by others being demolished and replaced with just one home.
Mr Tapang said the association was hopeful that the approval of apartments would mark the start of a new trend of rising sales.
However, he said the biggest increases and decreases across the country, which were largely recorded in apartment-oriented suburbs, were an indication that these were likely to be volatile.
“With apartments, there are a lot of things that can cause construction to start five years later,” he said.
In contrast, Mr Tapang said about 80 percent of approvals for detached houses were under construction within three months.
Metricon CEO Brad Duggan. Photo: Richard Walker
Metricon CEO Brad Duggan said there is plenty of demand for new homes in Queensland, but not enough repurposed and serviced land in the growth corridors where people actually want to live.
“Until that land is opened up, the state will not be able to deliver its fair share of national housing targets.”
Mr Duggan said the National Housing Agreement target was achievable in Queensland and across the country, but not under ‘business as usual’ conditions.
“In every major market the story is the same: we have willing buyers and willing builders, what we need is a planning and land clearance system that matches that ambition,” he said.
“The country has no problem with construction capacity.
“Builders can deliver homes quickly, in our case 60 days for a one-story home and 100 days for a two-story home.
“What we need is a pipeline for land and approvals that matches that pace.”
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