While the Australian Institute of Architects has welcomed investments in infrastructure and housing in the federal government’s budget for 2025–26, they have emphasised that further action is necessary, urging the appointment of a federal government architect.
The budget, released on 25 March, precedes the upcoming federal election scheduled for 3 May 2025. It allocates $54 million to accelerate the adoption of modern construction methods, such as prefabrication and modular building, in an effort to increase housing supply. The budget included a further $17.1 billion investment over ten years for road and rail projects.
In a recent communique, the national president of the Institute Jane Cassidy has highlighted that while the contributions to housing and infrastructure are valued, a national, design-led approach should be adopted to ensure these public investments address the challenges of rapid urbanisation, climate change and housing affordability, as well as provide lasting social, economic and environmental benefits to communities.
Cassidy stated that in the lead-up to the federal election, the Institute is calling for the appointment of a federal government architect within the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts to maximise the funding and achieve long-term, high quality design outcomes.
National president-elect Adam Haddow said “a federal government architect would provide strategic oversight and lead the development of smart, scalable solutions to ensure housing, infrastructure, and public spaces are designed for future needs, enhancing liveability and economic productivity. The federal government architect initiative would expand the positive impact of the existing government architects’ network across state, territory and local government levels.”
In addition to the call for national design leadership, the Institute has announced it will be advocating for a list of priorities this election, which include:
- The adoption of innovative and modern construction methods to address housing shortages and support the transition to net zero
- Healthy, affordable, equitable and sustainable housing that enhances community wellbeing
- The strengthening of building codes to support an orderly decarbonisation transition through the National Construction Code (NCC) and the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB)
- The inclusion of architects and other licenced professional in design-led projects and policies to improve urban outcomes, safety and consumer confidence.
Although Cassidy welcomed the budget’s provisions for increasing housing supply across the country, she said addressing this need should not come at the expense of safety, quality or sustainability. “Maximising liveability within space constraints requires careful planning of privacy, natural light, ventilation, storage and shared amenities. These factors are critical to quality of life and public health,” she said.
She added that with the growing frequency of extreme weather events, there should be increased investment in climate-responsive design, adaptive reuse of existing structures and reduced embodied carbon in construction materials.
The Institute’s full list of 2025 federal election priorities can be found here.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
