New ABS data shows that the total number of new loan commitments for new housing fell by 15% in the September quarter while the value of new home lending fell by 15.5%,

This is the largest quarterly fall on record, and the Commonwealth Bank says that loan arrears are...

The latest ABS Building Approvals data for September brought welcome news for NSW with the number of the state’s housing approvals rising to the highest level since the same time last year.

The sharp rise in approvals for NSW is a positive signal of renewed momentum but we must also...

Key points:

• CFMEU alleged to have used WHS inspections to halt work and to pressure construction contractors to use union affiliated labour hire and traffic management firms.
• Union delaying tactics can cause penalties in the contract to be paid by construction firms of up to $750,000 per day and...

The Reserve Bank is clear that the residential building industry will bear the brunt of the higher interest rates that it’s using to get inflation under control.

As widely anticipated, the RBA announced the fifth consecutive interest rate rise last week and hiked the cash rate up to 4.85%, the...

Key Points:

• Master Builders NSW has called out the Federal Government for stopping the Productivity Commission from investigating how industrial relations and the tax system put the brakes on productivity.
• The past 4 years have seen the lowest growth in living standards since 1910-1920.
• Latest Redbridge poll shows 67% of...

Media Release

3 November 2026

Master Builders NSW has warned that today’s interest rate rise by the Reserve Bank, which takes the cash rate to 4.85 per cent, the highest level in 18 years, will push more housing projects into unfeasible territory and leave home buyers, builders and...

Media Release

Master Builders has criticised the Federal Government for preventing the Productivity Commission from examining industrial relations in its inquiry into reducing barriers to business dynamism.

Master Builders NSW CEO Matthew Pollock said, “There is a productivity crisis in this country that’s worsening living standards and the Feds...

There will be huge pressure on the Reserve Bank to increase interest rates in November (on Melbourne Cup Day) and potentially again in December after inflation rose again in September.

The RBA Governor has told a Senate Inquiry that inflation is likely to be elevated for some time and...

The NSW Government has introduced stronger measures to deter illegal tree and vegetation clearing in non-rural areas. These reforms provide councils with enhanced compliance and enforcement tools to better protect urban tree canopy and vegetation.

The Minister for Planning and Public Spaces has also introduced a Bill into Parliament...

Key Points

• Interest rates may stay higher for longer, with the RBA warning that inflation remains above expectations and another rate rise is possible.
• Construction costs and borrowing pressures remain high, putting further strain on project feasibility, pricing and cash flow.
• NSW business confidence recording the largest decline nationally and...