Latest News About Grattan Institute Parking Report

The Grattan Institute’s parking report has been making waves in mid-2026, with coverage noting that removing parking minimums could save billions and unlock more housing.

Key points from recent coverage

• Grattan argues that abolishing parking minimum requirements for new housing could avert tens of thousands of parking spaces and save about $5–$5.2 billion over five years, while potentially increasing housing supply in major cities.[3]
• The report highlights that more than 40% of parking spaces in apartments in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane sit unused, and that parking mandates add substantial costs to new homes (estimates vary by city but are significant).[3]
• Local and state governments are urged to unbundle parking from rent, permit more flexible on-street management (e.g., residential permits with demand-based fees), and consider allowing parking rights to be bought or leased separately from property ownership; some coverage notes this could enable more high-density housing without the same parking drag.[7][3]
• News outlets in Australia reported the findings with recurring figures: hundreds of thousands of parking spaces potentially unnecessary and substantial potential savings for households and developers.[5][3]
• Grattan’s broader research pages and press material around May 2026 emphasize the same themes: reducing or removing parking minimums to ease housing supply constraints and lower costs.[4][7]

Illustration

• If a city halved its required off-street parking per new development, Grattan estimates a substantial reduction in construction costs and an increase in viable housing units, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne, contributing to affordability pressures.[3]

What this means for policy and residents

• Developers could face lower upfront costs, potentially translating to lower sale prices or higher margins, depending on market dynamics.[3]
• Households might see changes in rent and ownership costs as parking is decoupled from housing units and priced separately or as a permit-based system in high-demand areas.[3]
• Local councils may shift toward parking permits, time restrictions, and market-based pricing to manage demand without mandating excessive off-street spaces.[3]

If you’d like, I can pull the latest headlines from key outlets (ABC, Guardian, real estate outlets) and summarize any updates or responses from state governments. I can also prepare a brief pros/cons table of the proposed policy changes and any city-specific implications.