HOUSING SUPPLY IN REGIONS REACHES RECORD LOWS AS CRISIS DEEPENS

Western Australians in the regions are facing escalating cost-of-living pressure under the Cook Labor Government, with new figures revealing housing supply has reached crisis levels across regional Western Australia.

In Karratha, the rental vacancy rate fell to a catastrophic 0.1 per cent at the end of April, while median house prices surged 31.8 per cent over the past year.

Busselton’s median house price has now climbed above $1 million, up 14.3 per cent in 12 months, while Albany recorded the strongest annual price growth of any regional centre, soaring 24.4 per cent to $750,000.

Shadow Housing Minister Sandra Brewer said REIWA’s March quarterly data confirmed the housing crisis was not just confined to Perth.

"These figures confirm what we feared: housing in many parts of regional Western Australia is becoming completely unaffordable,” Ms Brewer said.

“Regional cities were once places where young people, workers and families could build a life and get ahead. Under this Government, that opportunity is disappearing.“

The Cook Labor Government recently announced 110 GROH homes for Karratha over five years, but even REIWA members have warned that will barely scratch the surface of demand.

Port Hedland recorded a 6.9 per cent price increase in housing in just three months, with REIWA pointing to a severe ‘imbalance between demand and supply in the region’.”

Ms Brewer said the crisis was now affecting regional economies and essential services.

“This is no longer just a housing issue — it is an economic and workforce crisis for regional Western Australia,” she said.

“When teachers, nurses, police officers, tradies, hospitality workers and small business employees cannot afford to live in regional communities, the entire economy suffers.

“Western Australia already has the longest home build times in the nation, with homes taking more than 17 months to complete compared with just 9.5 months in Queensland.

“Home completions fell for four consecutive quarters in 2025, and communities from Port Hedland to Albany are now paying the price for the Government’s failure to get housing supply moving.

“Runaway prices and record-low vacancy rates are the direct result of a Government that has failed to plan, failed to deliver and failed to keep pace with population growth.

“Regional Western Australia should be a place of opportunity, not a place where workers are priced out, families are pushed away and young people are forced to abandon the dream of home ownership.”