ConstructionChris ThomsonThu 01 Oct 26
Amidst Rationing, $4m WA Brickworks Bailout to Help More Than Housing
A $4-million government kick-start for Perth’s mothballed Austral brickworks will boost Western Australia’s production by up to 15 per cent and help more than home builders whose supply has been rationed.
The WA government says its support package, announced on September 29, will boost the state’s brick production by 10 to 15 per cent.
The Housing Industry Association’s WA executive director Michael McGowan said the extra bricks would support a broad cross-section of the construction industry.
“While much of the discussion around bricks focuses on housing, the benefits extend well beyond residential construction,” McGowan said.
“Bricks remain a critical building material for schools, hospitals, commercial developments, community facilities and a wide range of other construction projects that support our growing population.”
The state will provide up to $4 million of assistance, including a $3-million upfront payment to support recommissioning of the mothballed brickworks at Cardup in south-eastern Perth.
A $500,000 incentive payment for Austral to resume production by March 2027 is also part of the package, as is $500,000 to deliver 17 million maxibricks within 12 months of the brickworks firing up.
A maxibrick is a large-format utility brick used mainly for internal walls and structural support in double brick houses. A 2025 report commisioned by the HIA observed that WA was the only state where most detached houses (68 per cent) were built of double brick.
The government’s $4-million announcement landed in the same month that WA’s main brick producer Midland started rationing bricks, telling builders they would be allocated a set volume each year.
McGowan said despite the assistance package, the home-building industry had a challenging 12 months ahead to deliver the thousands of homes already in the pipeline.
The brickworks, historic kilns at which are on the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale’s heritage register, were mothballed in April 2023.
Since then, housing starts have grown to more than 24,200 homes. This includes 19,500 detached homes, up more than 50 per cent since April 2023.
Brickworks (the company that owns Austral) chief executive Mark Ellenor said Austral was pleased to support the WA government’s request to re-start the brickworks.
