South Australia is approving homes faster than any other state according to a new report.

The Housing Industry Association (HIA) 2026 Small Business Conditions Report also says South Australia’s housing construction sector is more confident than any other state.

The results reflect bold planning reforms developed by the State Government within the Housing Roadmap to make building homes more efficient.

These reforms streamlined the code amendment and land division process allowing more homes to be built for South Australians, faster.

The report is a survey of HIA small business members in the home building industry late last year.

The report showed South Australia is the quickest Australian state for planning approvals, with almost a third of planning applications approved in under 8 weeks.

*Percentage of planning approvals obtained in less than 8 weeks

It shows small businesses in the housing sector spend far less time dealing with red tape and regulatory burdens in South Australia than in any other state.

*Percentage of businesses spending less than two hours on red tape

According to the survey, small business confidence is much higher in South Australia compared with other states, with 67% of small business respondents anticipating making a greater profit in 2025/2026 than in 2024/2025.

South Australia sits above Victoria where only 34% of small businesses forecasting a better year, as well as New South Wales (37%), Queensland (46%), Western Australia (44%) and Tasmania (45%).

The State Government’s housing and planning policies has seen South Australia recognised as the nation’s best performing state by realestate.com.au and the Business Council of Australia as well as in other HIA reports.