WA rental pressures and housing supply factors

Question

In February, research by Cotality revealed that the average WA rent has risen by 66 percent in five years, the highest in the nation. 1. Why does Treasury believe WA rents have been rising faster than anywhere else in Australia? 2. To what extent does Treasury believe that intranational migration from the eastern states to WA has exacerbated this problem? 3. Does Treasury believe Cotality's figures are accurate? 4. Are development approval numbers substantially different in WA, relative to the rest of Australia? 5. What support has the federal government deployed for renters in regional WA, whose rents rose 10.1 percent in the 12 months to January 2026, compared to a 6.2 percent rise in Perth? 6. In December, I confirmed with the department that WA had not committed to the Livable Housing Standard and had no timeline for doing so. Has the state government indicated why this is?

Answer

See attached response.

Documents

• Question with answer (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
• SQ26-000324 WA rental pressures and housing supply factors.pdf (opens in a new tab)