Housing targets needs to ready regions for population wave

The federal government must mandate regional housing targets and set a plan to attract skilled workers as millions of city dwellers plan to make a tree- or sea-change in the next 18 months.

A 10-lot subdivision at Kewarra Beach has kicked off after the granting of final approvals from Cairns Regional Council, amid an urgent need for more housing in regional Australia. Picture: Aura Kewarra Beach

The federal government must mandate regional housing targets and set a plan to attract skilled workers as millions of city-dwellers plan to make a tree-or sea-change in the next 18 months.

The number of capital city residents considering a move to the regions has doubled to two in five – about 6.6 million people – according to the Regional Australia Institute second annual progress report Regionalisation Ambition.

But the necessities to cater for a surge in population are not being delivered, with only 10 of the institute’s 17 targets to increase liveability improving over the past 12 months.

Both housing metrics, rental vacancies (currently at 1.3 per cent) and dwelling approvals, have fallen by 0.2 per cent and 9.4 per cent respectively. The school attainment rate slipped four percentage points to 67.3 per cent according to the latest data, while regions are attracting only 23 per cent of allied health workers.

Regional Australia Institute chief executive Liz Richie said unless the government carved off funding in the national Housing Accord to be allocated to regional Australia, they would never get their fair share.

“No population projection in regional Australia has ever been right … then if it’s never been right, then we’re never investing appropriately in the infrastructure,” Ms Richie said. “We’re now experiencing these massive growing pains, and the growing pains mean that there’s nowhere for people to live.

“This is such a massive opportunity for Australia to rethink and reimagine what we look like.”

The report found that attracting more migrants to the regions and encouraging greater skilled work attainment to cover the dearth of hands-on workers such as builders and childcare workers was essential. The call was backed by the Real Estate Institute of Australia president Leanne Pilkington, who said the anticipated population shift to the regions was concerning given housing crises are most pronounced in ­regional Australia.