Industry calls for tailored approach as regional populations grow
The Housing Industry Association (HIA) has called for a specific housing strategy to address the needs of regional Australia, emphasising that policies should not simply mirror those designed for metropolitan areas.
Simon Croft, chief executive of industry and policy at the Housing Industry Association, addressed the Regional Housing Roundtable in Bendigo, Victoria, highlighting the release of a 20-point blueprint aimed at supporting regional housing and acknowledging the increasing population outside major cities.
“Housing policies need to deliver for regional Australia and not just be an adjunct of inner-city policies set in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra,” Croft said.
He added that the HIA’s Housing the Regions report is intended to encourage discussion on easing pressure in capital cities by working with regional communities to develop solutions for their expanding populations.
“The number of Australians moving from cities to the regions continues to grow, and this trend is expected to increase in the coming years as more people get priced out of living in metropolitan areas,” Croft (pictured right) said. “There are now 8.5 million people living in regional Australia.
“With high house prices and cost-of-living pressures biting, many people are realising the regions can offer the lifestyle they want and the jobs they're after, minus big city problems - like long commute times, tolls and traffic.
“This shift in population highlights the importance of the need for appropriate investment in the regions to bolster services, skills and infrastructure needed to support a growing population. Even more critically, it reinforces the importance and the need for a targeted regional housing plan that includes the volume of supply needed and providing affordable and diverse housing options.”
Croft identified several challenges facing regional housing development, including limited access to build-ready land, underinvestment in essential infrastructure, and workforce shortages across construction and planning roles.
“Builders must also contend with environmental approvals that can take years to conclude,” he said, adding that while demand for new homes in regional areas is strong, current systems are hindering rather than helping the delivery of new housing.
“Builders are acutely aware of the massive pent-up demand for new housing in these areas,” Croft said. “However, they need the systems around them that facilitate delivery of more homes working for them – currently the opposite is true.”
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