On Wednesday, CoreLogic released a report which showed the cost of building over the past year had risen 6.1 per cent. This was a big jump from a 3 per cent rise in 2020 and a 3.9 per cent rise in 2019.
The Master Builders Association challenged the numbers. "If anything, I think that's conservative," said David Kelly of the association. "I suspect it's closer to 10 per cent."
Continuing delays in getting building supplies into the country were a big part of the hike in costs. Master Builders said another key factor affecting rising costs was trying to find labour.
"There is a shortage, and that's simply a fact that we've got so much work on, and while there's fantastic work around apprentice training, that takes time. But we simply can't bring in people from overseas that we have previously," Kelly said.
