Western Australia's government is investing $4 million to restart Brickworks' mothballed Austral Bricks facility south of Perth, aiming to increase brick production by 10 to 15% and alleviate a critical shortage that has affected home builders since Midland Brick began rationing bricks. The funding includes payments to Brickworks for equipment recommissioning and operational support, with incentives tied to brick output targets. Treasurer Rita Saffioti emphasized the urgent need to address the situation, noting that housing demand has nearly doubled since the Cardup plant was closed in 2023.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-29,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Western Australia's state government is addressing a severe brick shortage by funding Brickworks to restart operations at its mothballed Austral Bricks facility in Cardup, south of Perth. The initiative, announced on Tuesday, involves an investment of up to $4 million from the state budget, including a $3 million payment to Brickworks and another $500,000 contingent upon producing 17 million maxibricks within the first year. This move aims to boost brick production in WA by 10-15%, addressing concerns raised by builders like Dale Alcock of the ABN Group who have struggled with limited supply from the state’s sole major brick maker, Midland Brick, since Austral Bricks closed its doors in mid-2023. Despite support for this measure, industry leaders acknowledge it as a significant but not entirely sufficient solution to alleviate ongoing construction material shortages.
Written for “WA Brick Shortage” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Three years after it was mothballed, national brick maker Brickworks will restart operations at its Austral Bricks facility in Cardup, south of Perth, with the help of taxpayers.
asserted
Brickworks → mothball → taxpayers
The state government will spend $4 million to restart operations at the Cardup plant and boost brick production in WA by 10 to 15 per cent in a bid to address the state’s crippling shortage, which has home builders fearing for their futures.
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builders → spend → futures
The money will include a $3 million payment to Brickworks to recommission equipment at the Cardup site as well as a $500,000 payment to ensure the plant resumes operations by March.
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plant → include → March
Another $500,000 payment will be made if Brickworks can deliver 17 million maxibricks – which are used in internal walls and general construction – within the first year of operations.
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which → make → operations
Perth home builders have been warning the state government for months of a looming a brick shortage in the state after Midland Brick began rationing bricks.
“This is a time where we can’t allow this situation to roll on without doing anything,” Treasurer Rita Saffioti said on Tuesday.
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Saffioti → warn → Tuesday
“Something needs to be done.
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Something → need → ?
We see the urgency.
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We → see → urgency
“We need to get more bricks as soon as possible to ensure this doesn’t become a major challenge that exists for years upon years.”
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that → need → years
Even the state’s biggest builders like Dale Alcock of the ABN Group are struggling to get bricks to service their huge pipeline of work
Part of the problem is the lack of capacity by Midland Brick, which remained the state’s only major brick maker after the Cardup facility was mothballed in 2023.
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facility → struggle → 2023
Saffioti said when Cardup was shuttered, the home building market was in a very different situation, but now the pipeline was enormous.
“When that was shut down, there was about 13,500 homes being built in Western Australia each year.
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that → say → Australia
We’re now up to 24,000, so the demand is definitely there,” she said.
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she → ’re → 24,000
Alcock said he would go as far as to say that Brickworks’ new facility would still not produce enough bricks to meet demand, “but it’s certainly a large help.”
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it → say → demand
The state government has poured about $100 million into boosting alternative construction methods to reduce the state’s obsession with double brick.
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government → pour → brick
However, Alcock said WA was still a double brick state.
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WA → say → ?
“We talk about different methods of construction.
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We → talk → construction
We’re up for that, but you can’t just change your construction methodology overnight as an industry,” he said.
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he → ’re → industry
“I encourage the government to undertake whatever support they can to Midland Brick and to Brickworks to try and increase capacity over the coming years because we are a double brick state and we need bricks.”
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we → encourage → bricks
Alcock said his company had about 100 jobs with slabs down, but no bricks loaded on them.
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company → say → them
“It’s taking us about an average of about four to six weeks to get brick supply,” he said.
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he → take → supply
Housing Industry Association WA boss Michael McGowan said 70 per cent of homes in the state were built using the double brick construction method.
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cent → say → method
He said there would likely still be delays over the next 12 months and asked customers to be patient with builders and trades.
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He → say → builders
Home Builders Action Group chairman Jason Janssen has been raising the industries concerns for months and said, while he welcomed the news that Cardup was restarting, it wouldn’t be enough.
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it → raise → news
“It gives us hope from March to next year but between now and then there is a lot of uncertainty,” he said.
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he → give → uncertainty
Janssen called on the state government to switch the majority of its public housing build program, which includes thousands of dwellings, from double brick to alternative construction methods to free up bricks in the private market.
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which → call → market
The Aporia
