Construction warning as high fuel prices turn home building into 'expensive trap'

Construction warning as high fuel prices turn home building into 'expensive trap' A construction slump could be coming as fuel hits cement, skips and pipes, making building more difficult and risky. Jason Murphy Sat 4 April 2026 at 10:00 pm GMT-4 4 min read The Iran war is set to further push up building prices and make it harder to get housing projects underway. (Source: Getty/AAP) Australia’s fledgling construction recovery could come to a sudden stop as high fuel prices turn new home-building into an expensive trap. The latest building approvals data came out on Wednesday and they cast back to February, showing a nation with big ambitions. Back then, we planned to build. The trend increase in dwelling approvals was up 13.2 per cent from a year earlier. Australia has a growing population which we need to house, not to mention a government-approved plan to build over a million new homes. But building approvals are just one step on the path to having the walls and roof put up. And what has happened since February means many of those approvals could remain on paper for a rather long time. RELATED ATO signals relief for small businesses pushed to breaking point in fuel crisis Calls for Bunnings, Kmart, McDonald's and others to be included in cash mandate Aussie drivers warned over expensive EV 'lesson' as fuel crisis accelerates demand “The Iran war is likely to further push up prices,” said Matthew Pollock, Executive Director of Master Builders NSW. “Which will make it even...