South East Queensland population set to smash five million barrier

An extra million people will flood South East Queensland within a decade, intensifying pressure on housing and transport infrastructure.

South East Queensland will smash through the five million people barrier in little more than a decade as the region continues to lead the nation in population growth.

Analysis of Australian ­Bureau of Statistics data by KPMG predicts the southeast corridor will be home to 4.5m people by the 2032 Olympics and will reach five million just four years later.

The region’s growth rate of 2.2 per cent over the last five years is well ahead of the national average of 1.5 per cent.

The Gold Coast has been the biggest mover in the past five years, welcoming almost 70,000 new residents, with the Logan-Beaudesert corridor second with more than 60,000 arrivals in the same time.

The Ipswich area was third with more than 50,000, ahead of the Sunshine Coast (almost 50,000) and inner city Brisbane (almost 40,000).

In the past two years, most arrivals to the region came from the ACT, Darwin, Cairns and Sydney’s northern beaches, with southeast Melbourne rounding out the top five.

The data also revealed the southeast corridor is shedding its golden-oldie image, with more than 65,000 additional people aged under 35.

KPMG urban economist Terry Rawnsley said the ­region’s growth showed no signs of slowing down and could actually grow faster.

“The southeast took 14 years to climb from 3m to 4m people, but now, with growth accelerating rapidly, the next million could arrive in as little as a decade,” he said.

Cameron and Liz Fuller with children Charlotte, 10, and Jack, 12, on their Pine Mountain property. Picture: Liam Kidston

Not everyone will be thrilled with the prospect of an extra million people living in South East Queensland in the next 11 years, particularly those who have spent time struggling to find affordable housing or sitting in endless traffic snarls.

Mr Rawnsley said there were pros and cons to such ­dynamic population growth.

“There’s no doubt an extra million residents over the next decade is going to create plenty of opportunities, but there will be some growing pains and what I call ‘symptoms of this success’,” he said.

“Governments will need to continue to invest in public transport and infrastructure development to deal with congestion issues, so the region can continue to prosper well into the future.”

KPMG Queensland mid-market and private partner ­Stephen Abbott said growth in many different destinations across the region meant it was no longer all about Brisbane.

“Brisbane was traditionally the epicentre of activity for South East Queensland, but now there are endless opportunities right up and down the M1,” he said.

“Major infrastructure projects like the Sunshine Coast Rail and the opening of Cross River Rail will only further enhance the region’s connectivity and economic prosperity in the lead up to Brisbane 2032.”

Cameron Fuller and his family moved to Pine Mountain outside Ipswich eight years ago, but have seen marked changes in that time.

“It’s a massive growth corridor and we’ve seen a real explosion in some areas,” he said.

“Where we are is a real sanctuary for us. It’s only 15 minutes from the Ipswich CBD but it feels much more relaxed.

“But there’s certainly some challenges for authorities because the traffic is much worse than it used to be and they really need the infrastructure to keep pace with the growth.”

Originally published as South East Queensland population set to smash five million barrier