AS one of the state’s largest employers, when construction and building shows a down-turn, this can have immediate and dramatic effects on local communities.

The August building approvals recently released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show Queensland figures down almost a third, with 28 per cent fewer residential dwellings approved over the past 12 months compared to the year before.

These figures highlight how tough the year has been for many in the industry.

Across the regions, Queensland’s building and construction industry has been struggling for a number of years, with some regions, like Central Queensland hitting rock bottom.

In response to this, the Rockhampton Regional Council (RRC) has taken the bull by the horns and announced an innovative solution designed to stimulate local building.

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RRC introduced a $5,000 new home builder’s grant for contracts signed after 1 August 2019 with homes completed before 31 March 2021.

Master Builders Deputy CEO, Paul Bidwell said Master Builders supported this initiative when it was announced a few months back and finds the results so far very promising.

“To date Council has reported, there has been a reasonable take up with an increase of approximately 35 per cent in building applications over the first two months,” said Mr Bidwell.

“The regions are definitely showing better results than Greater Brisbane, with Central Queensland up 138 per cent, North Queensland up 56 per cent and the Gold Coast 27 per cent over the last three months.”

Rockhampton Region Mayor Margaret Strelow said the initiative is in response to the challenges that regional economies are experiencing.

“We are determined to encourage growth and reboot our local building industry, so introducing a $5,000 housing construction grant was a no brainer for us when it comes to making a positive difference,” said Mayor Strelow.

“We can see very clearly the importance of the housing sector to all of the other trades and retailers it supports, so we have been thrilled to see a great level of interest so far and we hope that this trend continues.

“The fact that other councils across regional Queensland are also looking to implement this policy is not only a reflection on the state of regional economies, but it is also a credit to our team who has rolled out this initiative.”

Master Builders have also taken heart from the housing finance numbers released from the ABS last week.

“They provide a good indication of what will happen in the near future, by using these figures and the building approvals we can track how our industry is travelling,” said Mr Bidwell.

“While the 12 month figures are all still well down, the August numbers show a positive improvement. With the number of dwellings financed for first home buyers up 5 per cent and the number of financed owner occupiers’ dwellings up by 2 per cent.

“We are definitely still concerned, but we welcome any good news we can get.”

However with the outlook for the industry overall still presenting as negative, Master Builders continues to call on the Queensland Government to increase spending on new public buildings and for other Regional Councils to take up the gauntlet set down by Rockhampton Regional Council.

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