Victoria has witnessed significant migration from Melbourne to regional towns during the last decade. The desire for a simpler, more affordable, and less stressful life allowed many Melburnians to pack their bags and ‘seek refuge’ in regional areas and coastal towns, altering the socioeconomic landscape and reshaping communities. With the power of retrospect, we take a look at the patterns of migration, the motivations behind them, and ask whether this trend is temporary or here to stay. A changing market and pandemic spurred shift This demographic shift was most prominent during the last inter-Censal period (2016-2021) and accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The “Great Resignation”…
Category: Covid Impacts
Welcome to the second instalment of our Empty Suburbs series, where we will be taking a look at the suburbs and localities with the highest vacancy rates as of the 2021 Census. For this instalment, we will be exploring Victoria.From our last episode where we covered New South Wales, we found that the highest vacancy rate suburbs are along the Central Coast and the Inner City. Rather than just commenting on the phenomenon of high vacancies, we will also be highlighting the comparison between Victoria and New South Wales and the impacts of COVID-19 on Victoria’s dwellings. Do we see similar trends in Victoria? Are…
Many people will be aware that Australia’s population growth has rebounded after the lean COVID-19 years. Unprecedented levels of overseas migration have reversed the minimal population growth from the June Quarter of 2020 to the September Quarter of 2021. The strength of the rebound has come as a bit of a surprise, given the levels of pessimism regarding Australia’s demographic and economic outlook during the peak of the pandemic only two years ago. The increase has been unprecedented with the latest data showing a net migration gain to Australia of almost 387,000 people in the year ending December 2022. This is the highest gain to…
This is the final in a series of four blogs on the impact of COVID-19 on the Australian population and residential housing market. For a long time, it was thought that growth in the Australian economy and the housing market was underpinned by overseas migration-driven, population growth. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020 and soon after the borders were effectively closed. Boom not bust For a long time, it was thought that growth in the Australian economy and the housing market was underpinned by overseas migration-driven, population growth. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020 and soon after the borders were effectively…
Nothing has been immune from the effect of COVID-19 during the last year. Unsurprisingly, it has also affected metro-regional migration patterns.
With the political demise of Donald Trump, it might have been assumed that the need for walls to divide and separate was on the decline.…
Having undertaken population forecasts for more than two decades, clients at presentations would often ask me, “What’s the biggest risk with your forecasts”?…….. if there was a level of dissatisfaction with those comparatively banal answers, the response would be, “A pandemic”……