Australia is short 90,000 tradies to meet new housing targets.

The Government plans to build 1.2 million new homes over the next five years.

Australia correspondent Oliver Peterson says they'll get tradies to finish their qualifications, or will poach some from overseas.

But he says it has to compete with the mining industry.

"That's just always going to be the lure for a lot of people who might be tradies looking at apprentice wages, where they're barely able to make ends meet- or work on a mine and get these ridiculous salaries from day dot."

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