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Detached house approvals across Australia rose by 6.1% in September to 9890, the highest monthly number of detached house approvals in two years. Source: Timberbiz The Australian Bureau of Statistics Thursday released its monthly building approvals data for September 2024 for detached houses and multi-units covering all states and territories. “There were 28,970 detached house approvals nationally in the September quarter 2024. This is 4.1% higher than in the previous quarter and 12.9% higher than at the same time in the previous year,” HIA Economist Maurice Tapang said. “It has been a year since the RBA last raised interest rates. Unchanged cash rate settings, supported by strong population growth, low unemployment levels and acute housing shortages, have helped lift consumer sentiment. “The result seen in house approvals data continues to confirm that the market is past its trough, and more buyers are building a new home especially in those markets outside of Sydney,” he said. Detached house approvals in Melbourne were double that of approvals in Sydney, despite the two capital cities having comparatively similar population numbers and inflows. Mr Tapang said that detached house approvals in some areas of Regional NSW had also improved as home buyers in the state search for more affordable opportunities outside the capital city. “The cost of home building materials are growing at a more normal pace, while build times for houses are back to pre-pandemic levels. The price of shovel-ready land, however, remains prohibitively high especially in Sydney,” he said. “Multi-unit approvals rose by 8.5% in the month of September to 4,950. Approvals for multi-units have been bumpy and trending at decade-low levels amid challenges with capacity, labour availability and materials costs. “There were 14,890 multi-unit approvals in the September quarter 2024, which is 10.7% higher than in the previous quarter and 1.2% higher than at the same time in the previous year. “The volume of apartment construction needs to double current approvals numbers in order to achieve the Australian Government’s target of 1.2 million homes over five years,” Mr Tapang said. Detached house approvals in the September quarter 2024 rose by 49.9% in Western Australia compared to the same time in the previous year. This was followed by South Australia (+21.1%), Queensland (+17.8%), and Victoria (+9.3%). The other jurisdictions recorded a decline over the same period, led by the Australian Capital Territory (-20.9%), followed by Tasmania (-19.1%), New South Wales (-5.1%) and the Northern Territory (-1.9%). Muli-unit approvals in the September quarter 2024 rose by 179.1% in Western Australia compared to the previous year. This was followed by Queensland (+39.6%) and South Australia (+0.3%). The Northern Territory recorded no change over the same period, while declines were recorded in the Australian Capital Territory (-75.2%), Tasmania (-10.9%), New South Wales (-8.4%) and Victoria (-4.2%).  

Master Builders Australia released new analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics data which shows detached home and apartment building times continue to blow out. Source: Timberbiz Fifteen years ago, it took on average nine months to build a stand-a-alone house. Fast forward to today and it now takes 12.7 months – an increase of more than 40% . It’s even more grim for apartment building with an average of 18.5 months from approval to completion to a whopping 33.3 months – an increase of 80% . CEO Denita Wawn said these extended construction timeframes are impacting the industry’s ability to meet housing demand and tackle the housing crisis. “With advancements in technology and construction methods, we should be building homes faster, not slower. “There are a range of contributing factors including labour shortages, declining productivity, union pattern agreements, supply chain disruptions, complex regulatory requirements, occupational certificate backlogs and critical infrastructure delays. “As a result, we’ve seen productivity decline by 18%  over the last decade. “Productivity is more than an economic buzzword. This data proves what happens in a construction environment without meaningful reform,” Ms Wawn said. Master Builders is calling for action to address these bottlenecks and inefficiencies in the construction process. “Streamlining regulatory approval processes, encouraging adoption of digital solutions, introducing incentives to grow the workforce through domestic and international means, and strengthening the domestic supply chain are just some examples,” Ms Wawn concluded.

Air New Zealand and LanzaJet have announced the preliminary findings from a study into using woody waste residues and low-value wood products in New Zealand to produce sustainable aviation fuel – a form of alternative jet fuel commonly referred to as SAF. Source: Timberbiz The feasibility study was funded by Air New Zealand and the New Zealand Government, and undertaken in partnership with Scion, Z Energy (Z), and WoodBeca. LanzaJet, a leading SAF technology provider and sustainable fuel producer, has found that locally produced New Zealand SAF could meet up to a quarter of the aviation fuel needed for The study found that using domestically grown woody waste for SAF has the potential to contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to New Zealand’s economy per year and create hundreds of new regional jobs.  Significant investment in infrastructure will be needed to achieve this. Air New Zealand Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer, Kiri Hannifin, says the initial findings from the study are promising however, establishing and stimulating a new SAF market will be critical to ensure New Zealand doesn’t miss out on securing homegrown raw materials like woody waste for its own use and benefit. “These initial findings support that alternative jet fuel can be produced here in Aotearoa from our own locally-grown woody waste, which is very positive for a country that is heavily reliant on long-haul aviation and trade and currently imports 100 percent of its jet fuel,” Ms Hannifin said. “Alternative jet fuel such as SAF is currently the only real tool available to address carbon emissions from long-haul aviation, so it’s crucial for connecting New Zealanders, tourists, and exporters with the rest of the world. “SAF is already being used in small quantities by many airlines globally today, but it currently represents only a fraction of overall aviation fuel and comes at a high premium so anything that can be done increase supply and to reduce that premium is vital. “The right settings and regulatory environment will be important as New Zealand considers homegrown SAF because it’s the only way to secure the necessary global investment. “There is already significant international momentum and in our view New Zealand shouldn’t get left too far behind or we risk seeing the flow of capital go elsewhere or our valuable raw materials being swooped up by other markets for their own SAF.” SAF is almost chemically identical to fossil jet fuel and has the same emissions when burnt in an aircraft, however it has significantly lower emissions than fossil jet fuel over the full lifecycle of the fuel, from raw material production to combustion. For example, Air New Zealand’s June delivery of 500,000 litres of SAF into Wellington had an 89% life-cycle emissions saving versus the equivalent fossil jet fuel. LanzaJet CEO, Jimmy Samartzis, says the company is pleased with the initial results from the feasibility study and reaffirms its commitment to the region. “Building a new industry requires developing a broad ecosystem for SAF in New Zealand, anchored in technology and supported by policy, capital, and demand to help attract funding and make it at a price airlines can afford,” he said. “We are seeing many countries move quickly to put mechanisms in place to stimulate, produce and export their own SAF in the future, because aviation is critical to global economies, as it is here in New Zealand. “CirculAir, the SAF production approach assessed in the study combines the technologies of LanzaTech and LanzaJet to convert waste carbon into SAF. The process starts with LanzaTech’s carbon recycling technology, which (in this case) converts gasified forestry residues into ethanol. LanzaJet then converts that into SAF using its proprietary and industry-leading alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) technology. “The good news is that turning woody biomass into SAF is technically possible in New Zealand, and with the right settings, is an industry that can get started fairly quickly. “We look forward to completing additional analysis into what other feedstocks, such as municipal household and commercial waste, could be used to make domestic SAF production an even more attractive option in Aotearoa.” A second phase of the study, exploring the potential for municipal solid waste (household and commercial waste) as a feedstock for the LanzaTech carbon recycling process, is expected to be completed over the next few months.

Ancient cultural burning practices carried out by Indigenous Australians limited fuel availability and prevented high intensity fires in southeastern Australia for thousands of years, according to new research from The Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Nottingham. Source: Timberbiz The research, published in Science, highlights how the intensity of forest fires in fire-prone southeastern Australia decreased over time alongside an increase in Indigenous populations in the area. Dr Simon Connor from ANU said a better understanding of the link between human-induced climate change and the projected rise in the frequency and intensity of forest fires will lead to improved forest management and conservation in Australia. “We often think about forests and woodlands in terms of trees, but this research shows that some of the biggest changes have happened not in the tree canopy but in the shrub layer. That’s something we weren’t expecting to find,” he said. “Indigenous peoples have shaped Australian landscapes over tens of thousands of years. They did this through cultural practices. We need to keep that in mind when we’re thinking of the best way to live in the Australian environment.” Using tiny fossils preserved in ancient sediment, the research team reconstructed ancient landscapes across southeastern Australia to understand how the vegetation has changed over time. The researchers focused on the shrub layer because this is what allows flames to climb from the ground to the canopy, leading to high intensity fires. The team then compared this with archaeological data to analyse how human activity has impacted levels of shrub cover in Australian landscapes over time. Lead researcher Dr Michela Mariani, from the University of Nottingham, said the expansion of Indigenous populations and a subsequent increase in the use of cultural burning led to a 50%  decrease in shrub cover, which in turn led to a decline in high intensity fires. “The shrub layer in forests can often act as ladders for wildfires to climb up to tree canopies and spread,” Dr Mariani said. “Following British colonization and extensive fire suppression, shrub cover in Australia has increased to the highest ever recorded, which significantly increases the risk of high intensity fires in the future. “Australia’s fire crisis can be tamed with the involvement of Indigenous practitioners in fire management. It’s important to rekindle ancient cultural burning practices together with Traditional Owners to reduce the risk of catastrophic blazes.” This work also involved researchers from the University of Melbourne, Monash University and the University of Tasmania. The paper can be found here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adn8668

Sustainable Timber Tasmania and the Tasmanian Government have defended the native timber industry in the wake of rallies at the weekend calling for an end to the industry. Source: Timberbiz The rallies, organised by the Bob Brown Foundation, were held in Hobart as well as Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra and other towns and cities. Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT) conservation general manager Suzette Weeding told The Mercury in Hobart that STT sowed millions of seeds across to regenerate native forests. “Sustainable Timber Tasmania is focused on delivering a sustainable and balanced approach to forest management in both native forests and plantations,” she said. “In 2023-24, Sustainable Timber Tasmania facilitated the harvesting and transportation of 1.26m tonnes of forest products for processing in Tasmania, including 180,288 cubic metres of eucalypt sawlog. “To support Tasmania’s special species timber industry, 8889 cubic metres of special species timbers was also produced.” On Saturday, Resources Minister Eric Abetz told The Mercury ending native forest logging in Tasmania would result to increased timber imports from jurisdictions with “weaker” environmental protections than Tasmania. He said the government made no apology for standing by the industry and jobs.