The great shortage seems to have accumulated at once; shortage of workers, shortage of houses, shortage of infrastructure. It’s the ultimate catch-22, where regional towns can hardly secure one without the other. What towns do with this hand will determine their future. 

The great migration that came with Covid-19 saw house prices rise and rental availability sink as ex-citysiders snapped up the market. 

However, according to Co-Founder of The Demographics Group Simon Kuestenmacher, the statistics are showing that towns across the Western Plains and other more rural regions could risk another decline. 



“The general trend in the (Murray-Darling) Basin is for more rural and remote populations to decline while some of the bigger regional centres will continue to attract more people who are relocating both from big cities and smaller towns,” Mr Kuestenmacher said.

According to data from realestate.com, regional centres like Dubbo have seen an increase of over 23 per cent in the last 12 months, making them unattainable for many. 

While this could be an opportunity for the relatively lower prices in local towns to be a drawcard, the supply isn’t there. 

Mr Kuetstenmacher cautioned that skills shortage and housing shortage go hand in hand and could hinder economic expansion. 

“It’s crucial that local governments make enough land available for future housing developments. This needs to happen in a fast and unbureaucratic manner,” he said. 

It’s a challenge that local councils have been working to tackle as a top priority, but rezoning land for residential areas hasn’t come easy, and is only one of many steps. 

“State governments need to put sufficient funds aside for regional infrastructure upgrades,” Mr Kuestenmacher said. 

NSW Farmers President James Jackson said that the investment in regional infrastructure, including roads, health and telecommunications, doesn’t reflect the migration to regional areas. 

“There’s also a need to harness the economic potential of better-connected supply chains and accessible domestic and export hubs, particularly off the back of record success for many agricultural commodities,” Mr Jackson said.

All of the above will supposedly ‘woo’ the millennial families that are said to improve basin communities, yet the cost is unviable for any local council. 

Working as a region rather than council is the best way forward, according to Mr Kuestenmacher.

“Work together as a whole community to ensure new housing supply comes online. Speak as one voice to the state government to attract infrastructure spending into your region,” he said.