Australia is banking on a Scandinavian-style solution to its housing problems.
The government has promised $39.3 million for a trial of modular, pre-made building components - similar to IKEA flat-pack furniture - which could speed up construction times while driving down costs.
Australia needs to think outside the box when it comes to getting homes built faster, Housing Minister Clare O'Neil says.
"Most homes use the same basic components - walls, windows, roofs, bathrooms, kitchens,'' she said ahead of a major speech defending controversial changes to tax concessions for investors.
"So instead of designing everything from scratch every single time, we can standardise some parts of the process and make construction more efficient."
Ms O'Neil has taken inspiration from Sweden, the home of furniture giant IKEA, where about 80 per cent of detached homes are built using prefabricated parts, compared to just five per cent in Australia.
