The ACT has again ranked among the weakest performers in the country for housing activity, according to the latest Housing Industry Association (HIA) Scorecard.

The report places the ACT alongside Tasmania at the bottom of the national rankings, with both jurisdictions continuing to struggle across key indicators including detached housing, multi-unit construction and renovations.

HIA senior economist Tom Devitt said the ACT had underperformed for several years and was only showing early signs of improvement.

“Both jurisdictions underperformed on a number of indicators of detached housing, multi-unit and renovations activity,” Mr Devitt said.

“Local residents continue to leave for other states and territories… and only early signs [of recovery are evident] in the Australian Capital Territory.”

The HIA Housing Scorecard measures current levels of building activity against long-term averages, using data on construction, lending and population flows.

At the other end of the rankings, Western Australia retained its position as the strongest housing market in the country, extending its lead.

Mr Devitt said Western Australia’s recovery had delivered the nation’s strongest detached housing sector, alongside strong performance in renovations and multi-unit construction, supported by high levels of migration.

Queensland and South Australia rounded out the top three performers, leading the national recovery across most housing indicators.

NSW, Victoria and the NT were ranked in the middle of the table, with relatively weak building pipelines but expected improvements as migration continues to support demand.

The report suggests a more sustained recovery in housing activity in the ACT may still take time to emerge.