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The Queensland Productivity Commission (QPC) has received the terms of reference for its inquiry into the state’s construction and building sector, which two newly appointed QPC board members will lead.
Following a bill to reinstate the Queensland Productivity Commission (QPC) last month, the Queensland government has officially released the Terms of Reference for the commission’s inquiry into improving productivity within the state’s construction sector.
The previous Queensland Productivity Commission was abolished in 2021, prompting the Liberal Party to re-establish the QPC last year and task it with conducting a review of Queensland’s building industry.
The new Terms of Reference for the inquiry represents the first directive of the re-established commission and will require the body to investigate and report on conditions in both the residential and non-residential construction sectors, while also examining the policy and regulatory factors that impact productivity.
Treasurer David Janetzki said that the Productivity Commission will “drive up productivity and drive down cost pressures”.
“The commission’s first inquiry will review the factors driving productivity in the Queensland construction sector and make recommendations for reform to improve productivity without compromising quality and safety outcomes,” Janetzki said.
As part of its inquiry, the Commission will undertake wide public consultation with a range of stakeholders, including industry peak bodies, unions, construction businesses, and regulatory bodies within the state.
With the Terms of Reference for this initial inquiry being issued on 24 April 2025, the commission will be required to deliver a report to the Queensland government within six months.
Minister for Housing and Public Works, Sam O’Connor, said the inquiry was a “critical step” towards fixing Queensland’s building and construction sector.
“By launching this inquiry, we’re getting on with the job of making it easier to build in Queensland because the current system isn’t working for builders and it’s certainly not working for the tens of thousands of Queenslanders waiting for a place to call home,” O’Connor said.
While handing down the first referral to the QPC, the state government also announced the appointment of senior executive Angela Moody as the state’s new productivity commissioner.
Before joining the QPC, Moody served as the chief financial officer at the Gladstone Area Water Board, providing her with insights across the electricity, water, natural gas, and public policy sectors.
Alongside Moody will be Dr Karen Hooper, the current head of the Office of Productivity and Red Tape Reduction at the Queensland Treasury, who has been appointed to the QPC board as a commissioner.
Janetzki said that Moody and Hooper’s combined experience would help the commission to conduct its inaugural inquiry and drive down cost-of-living pressures.
“The appointment of these experienced and highly-quality board members is a coup for Queenslanders,” he said.
The Property Council of Australia welcomed the state’s recent announcements around the new QPC, with the council’s Queensland executive director, Jess Caire, describing the commission as a necessary response to Queensland’s plummeting productivity.
“Queensland is growing exponentially. This means we need more homes, schools, hospitals, job-creating industrial developments, and the delivery of critical infrastructure to support that growth,” Caire said.
“Delivering this has to be done efficiently, requiring a significant boost in productivity across the state,” she added.
Caire said that it would be crucial to rapidly improve productivity to boost available supply and lower the cost of housing for Queenslanders.
“Queensland is already facing a significant housing deficit, and the longer it takes to build a house, the more it costs and the wider this deficit grows,” Caire concluded.
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