Bell tolls for urgent housing fix
Gold Coast real estate industry leader Andrew Bell is urging all levels of government to unite to ease the country’s housing crisis.
Mr Bell, a Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) board member, said local, state and federal governments needed to unplug the blockages create incentives to encourage rapid construction of new housing.
The Ray White Surfers Paradise Group chairman said: “There is an array of very clear steps that need to be taken to address supply issues. It’s still a case of a lot of talk and little action.
“To get true effectiveness it’s absolutely necessary for the three levels of government to
work cooperatively rather than independently of one another.
“The longer it takes, the longer he longer this housing crisis will stay.
“It will require the combined efforts of governments to work through this crisis. The REIA will do everything it can to continue to guide this effort as well as apply a degree of urgency in discussions at all levels.”
Mr Bell recently returned from the REIA Centenary Congress in Hobart, focused on key issues affecting the housing market including changing demographics and demand, impact of AI, risks associated with cyberattacks and how to provide the best workplace environment.
“The Congress really galvanised the issues the industry is facing at present and helped crystallise the steps that need to be taken to fast-track clear pathways to real solutions to the housing crisis.
“While many issues such as immigration are touted as the cause of the housing crisis, the real reason is decades of under construction of new housing,” he said.