{
  "id": 10628707,
  "title": "Second brick plant no quick fix for WA housing shortage",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/second-brick-plant-no-quick-fix-for-wa-housing-shortage",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T06:39:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-29/wa-government-funding-austral-bricks-factory/107207756"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Western Australia's state government plans to provide up to $4 million to help Austral Bricks reopen its brick manufacturing facility in the state. The Sydney-based company shut down its WA factory in mid-2023, leaving only one brickmaker in the region. Treasurer Rita Saffioti stated that the funding is an example of the government's support for critical industries. With the construction industry facing labour and raw material shortages, the number of homes starting construction has increased by over 50% since Austral closed its Cardup brickworks. Midland Brick, the remaining manufacturer, has struggled to meet demand. The government will give $3 million to Austral to increase production by up to 15%, but Housing Industry Association WA CEO Michael McGowan cautioned that this is not a quick solution to the housing shortage. The government is also offering Austral an additional $500,000 if it resumes operations by March and produces at least 17 million bricks in the first year. However, industry executives and experts remain concerned that more needs to be done to ensure a steady supply of bricks for the construction industry.",
  "summary": "Taxpayers are funding the reopening of the Austral factory, which the government hopes will help address the shortage of bricks plaguing the construction industry.",
  "key_points": [
    "Western Australia offers $4M to reopen Austral Bricks plant.",
    "Treasurer Rita Saffioti supports critical industries.",
    "$3M for Midland Brick to meet demand, not quick fix."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The government's funding for Austral Bricks to reopen its WA facility signals a push to bolster critical industries, but industry experts still see it as insufficient to quickly alleviate the housing shortage.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}