Retro public builder plan urged to ease housing crisis

State builders have been suggested as a way to ease the housing crisis across Australia. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

With Australia in desperate need of more homes and builders seemingly unable to keep up with demand, a creative solution may be needed to fix the country's housing crisis.

That's led SA Greens MLC Robert Simms to look back in time for an outside-the-box proposal - establishing a public builder to construct social housing stock and step in when private developers go under.