Once again, housing affordability is at the forefront of an Australian federal election.

Both major parties have put housing policies at the centre of their respective campaigns. But there are still concerns too little is being done to address supply.

One of the biggest hurdles is an ongoing shortage of skilled tradespeople, and difficulties attracting new workers. The construction industry accounts for 9% of Australia’s workforce. Yet an estimated 35% of workers lack formal qualifications.

On Wednesday, Labor announced an election promise to fast-track formal trade qualifications for about 6,000 experienced but unqualified tradies.

The Advanced Entry Trades Training program would start in 2026 and cost A$78 million.

This program should help address some of the skills shortages in the sector. But it will be a long time before these benefits begin flowing through the system. And Australia is still likely to fall short of the government’s ambitious new home targets.

The Advanced Entry Trades Training program is intended to partly bridge the gap in construction skills shortages through a process called “

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