Category: Population
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”…
The result of the 2023 Referendum on Indigenous Recognition and the Voice to Parliament was a disappointing outcome for the ‘Yes’ campaign and I feel that disappointment too.While the overall result seemed never to be in doubt, the pattern of voting across Australia is highly revealing about the nature of people’s views about progressive social issues. It may also reflect the inherent conservative nature of the Australian electorate when it comes to change and the level of priority that Australians have towards the nation’s first peoples.The blurring of traditionally labour areas into the ‘No’ camp and liberal areas into the ‘Yes’ camp is obvious from…
A cycling jaunt One of my pastimes and outlets is cycling along rail trails. They are peaceful and you get a chance to see some amazing Australian countryside.I recently rode to Mansfield in Victoria along what is called ‘The Great Victorian Rail Trail’. There is some spectacular scenery and impressive engineering feats, the chief amongst them being the bridge across the Eildon Dam at Bonnie Doon (How’s the Serenity!).This trip made me reflect on the demographic changes that have occurred in the region and divergent patterns of population growth in these two centres over time. Understanding regional growth To provide context to the nature of regional growth in…
If you have been keeping with the news, you may have seen the 2023 release of the Intergenerational Report, a document summarising economic outlooks and Australia’s budget over the next 30 years. One of the major challenges identified is Australia’s ageing population, an issue which has sparked significant discussion in the media with concerns that even with superannuation, retirees will still not able to cover living expenses.According to AMP’s 2022 Financial Wellness report, 21% of working Australians are not confident that they have the funds to live at their desired lifestyle in 2022, up from 17% in 2021.While we acknowledge the challenges of the situation…
In our previous blog “Population growth in New South Wales: Stories from the 2021 Census”, it was revealed that Camden was the fastest growing Local Government Area (LGA) in NSW, going from 78,200 persons in 2016 to 119,325 by 2021; a rate of 52.6%! The next closest LGAs were The Hills Shire (22.0%) and Blacktown (17.7%). Growth in these LGAs was predominantly driven by rapid rates of greenfield residential development in new estates, hence attracting new residents to the area. “Over half of Camden’s new residents arrive from neighbouring Liverpool and Campbelltown” The migration map below shows the most significant net flows of people to…
Do you live or work near a PTV train station? Perhaps you drive to one to catch the train? By now, you have probably noticed the amount of residential construction that has taken place around these stations in the last several years – trust us, your eyes do not deceive!Guided by activity centre policies (from both State and local Governments), it aims to focus new residential growth around existing transport nodes, specifically our metropolitan train stations. The idea and practice of encouraging focused higher density development around transit nodes has been around for a while. It brings about many advantages, such as greater walkability, better…
There is constant media attention regarding the state of the housing market in Australia. Are prices going up or are prices going down? Are we meeting housing demand? Are we building too many apartments? Read on to find out more. What Does the 2021 Census Data Tell Us? With the release of the 2021 Census of Population and Housing, we were very keen to see what had happened with indicators of housing supply and demand, namely: Average household size Vacancy rates These two indicators give us a simple, but relatively good feel for the dwelling supply versus demand. At the Australian level, average household size…
The rate of population growth in Tasmania accelerated rapidly during the 2016-2021 period. The growth rate of 9.3% or 47,610 persons was remarkable after a relatively sluggish previous decade where the State’s population grew by only 33,480. The fastest growing Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Tasmania were a combination of smaller rural LGAs and areas on the edge of Hobart and Launceston. However, the fastest growing LGA in Tasmania between 2016 and 2021 was Central Highlands (17.5%). Almost all LGAs in Tasmania benefited from the large overseas and interstate migration gains to the State that preceded the COVID-19 pandemic. The greatest gains in net terms…
What does the ABS 2021 Census tells us about population growth rates across Southern Australia? Despite the overall rate of population growth in SA experiencing strong gains from 2016 to 2021 (6.3%), not all LGAs across the state benefited from the large overseas migration gain that preceded the COVID-19 pandemic. The fastest growing LGAs between 2016 and 2021 were mainly the outer and fringe areas of Adelaide, where greenfield development was the most predominant. Maralinga Tjarutja Council was the fastest growing Council in remote northern South Australia with a 50%+ increase, although the gain was just 34 persons.Most coastal areas grew strongly in the lead…