A strong majority of Australians fear the nation will fall short of building 1.2 million new homes by 2029, according to new YouGov polling commissioned by AMPLIFY. The figure, set by National Cabinet, has become a central plank in the housing debate. But despite widespread concern, few want the Federal Government to abandon the target.
Seventy-nine per cent of respondents said they were worried Australia would not meet the goal. Yet only 17 per cent supported scrapping the target for a new, lower one.
“Australians want action. They want governments to set ambitious targets and they want governments to follow through with bold and meaningful reforms to help the nation reach these housing targets,” said AMPLIFY CEO Georgina Harrisson.
“Sugar hit policies and short-term fixes aren’t going to get the nation building. Governments need to move at pace to solve this very real crisis.”
Harrisson added that falling behind should not be an excuse to give up. “Australia is falling increasingly behind on this housing target but that doesn’t mean the government should abandon this ambition,” she said.
Her comments come on the back of new signals from Housing Minister Clare O’Neil, who reiterated her support for the 1.2 million target and the need for long-haul collaboration across all levels of government.
O’Neil said the housing crisis required “gritty, difficult, technical work—across portfolios, governments and industry—to turn this crisis around.”
The polling was released shortly after recent federal announcements on planning reforms, including a temporary freeze on the National Construction Code and plans for further changes to environmental and AI-related frameworks.
Harrisson acknowledged the steps but warned against inertia.
“The announcement to pause the National Construction Code sounds like progress, but the pause must not become paralysis,” she said.
“Australians can’t wait years for consistency and clarity in housing rules. To unlock the opportunities that are presented through modern construction, to build more homes sooner, we need to modernise the regulations and we can’t afford to wait unnecessarily.”
She said modular and prefabricated construction offered some of the fastest ways to get homes built, but required clear regulatory support. Harrisson is available for interviews and said case studies of prefab housing were available on request.
Director at RedBridge Group Australia, Kos Samaras, said the housing debate needs to get serious and confront uncomfortable truths.
“Australians want an honest debate on housing, one that tackles the real causes of the crisis. Let’s start with tax settings, short-stay platforms like Airbnb, and planning laws that block new homes instead of helping build them,” he said.
Samaras argued that the market has warped housing into a financial product and stripped it of its basic purpose. “We’ve treated homes like blue-chip investments and then Uberised them through Airbnb. At the very least, this second distortion should no longer be rewarded by the tax system.”
With polling showing broad public concern and a clear appetite for action, AMPLIFY says now is the time for governments to prove they can build—not just promise.
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