Halfway through January, it’s becoming clear we haven’t left many issues in 2023, and housing is no exception, pairing nicely with supply chain issues and a general worker shortage to top it off as one of the regions’ biggest challenges.

Thinking uniquely local is being encouraged ahead of next month’s National Regional Housing Summit, a collective effort to discuss solutions to regional Australia’s housing needs. 

“Regional Australia is far from homogenous, and what might work in Bendigo, likely won't in Bowen or Broken Hill. A one-size-fits-all approach does not work and in some instances can cause significant unintended consequences,” said Regional Australia Institute (RAI) CEO Liz Ritchie. 

“Adaptable initiatives that allow for place-based input need to be at the heart of addressing this issue, which is putting a stall on the regions' ability to thrive," Ms Ritchie said.   

According to RAI, the demand to relocate to the regions remains 12 per cent above the pre-covid average, and with Domain reporting that in 2023, 28 per cent of regional real estate enquiries came from Sydney-siders. 

Domain data suggests, however, that Sydney-siders aren’t looking to move far from home, with Newcastle suburbs making up the top 5 most in demand suburbs across regional Australia. 

Still, local councils are all working towards supercharging their own housing supply, with Walgett facing the biggest homelessness issue in NSW in 2023. 

Ms Ritchie said the RAI's Regionalisation Ambition – a 10-year framework – aims to see by 2032, the regional rental vacancy rate increase to above 3% and for annual building approvals to keep pace with population growth. 

Currently, the rental vacancy rate remains at less than 0 per cent across the Western Plains, according to SQM Research.

"Current data shows us there is much work that needs to be done to achieve that, but regional leaders are finding innovative and collaborative ways to combat a shortfall of housing and there are many lessons we can learn from them," Ms Ritchie said. 

Unique ideas, such as Quilpie’s infamous ‘free land’ promotion have been used as an example to think outside the box, however that campaign was challenged when building costs and supply meant that three years went by with no houses built.

“It must be recognised the challenges the regions face with housing are often different to metropolitan Australia. These challenges also vary region to region, so a bespoke approach is needed," Ms Ritchie said.

The National Regional Housing Summit will be held on 9 February, 2024.