Housing Strike team fast-tracks 35,500 extra homes

The Albanese government’s visualised "Housing Strike" team has outpaced its initial targets, green-lighting an additional 35,500 homes since July last year, well ahead of its 26,000-home goal.

The latest figures show the specialised unit—established in 2025—has cleared the way for 21 major metropolitan projects accounting for 19,906 properties, alongside 13 regional developments delivering a further 15,769 homes.

To sustain this momentum, the 2026 federal budget has allocated roughly $500 million to establish a National Environmental Protection Agency.

The body aims to accelerate assessments by slashing red tape, utilising artificial intelligence, and harmonising agreements with state and territory governments to eliminate regulatory duplication.

Minister for Environment and Water Murray Watt defended the fast-tracked approvals, stating the team ensured environmental impacts were thoroughly "assessed, avoided and minimised", promising that the rollout of landmark national environment laws would make the process even "faster, simpler and more reliable".

However, the triumphant announcement arrives amidst fierce political fallout over the government's broader housing affordability strategy.

The budget’s controversial changes to the capital gains tax discount have sparked widespread backlash, particularly because the reductions inadvertently catch all asset classes, not just property.

Independent Senator David Pocock spearheaded criticism, arguing the government has utterly failed to justify why non-housing assets should be penalised.

As the administration grapples with the tax furore, this rapid expansion of housing approvals serves as a critical counter-narrative to claims that its broader economic policies are stalling national growth.