With millions of new jobs forecast to be created across Australia in the next decade, new estates are emerging in key hubs to meet future demand. 

By 2034, there will be an extra two million workers across the nation, according to data from Jobs and Skills Australia. This represents a national employment increase of almost 14% over the coming 10 years. 

As work opportunities expand, developers are focusing on strategically located growth corridors where housing demand is expected to rise sharply.  

Many of these areas are being planned with transport connections, essential services and lifestyle amenities, ensuring they meet the needs of new workers while fostering connected communities. 

Below are the states and territories tipped for the strongest job growth – and the housing estates shaping up to accommodate the nation’s future workforce.

ACT 

The ACT is expected to experience the fastest jobs growth in the country, with an 18.1% increase over the next decade. That translates to 49,000 new jobs and a need for more homes in well-connected areas. 

In the city’s west, key sites are expected to deliver new detached housing to cater to Canberra’s workforce.  

One of these is the Ginninderry estate, a joint venture between the ACT government’s Suburban Land Agency (SLA) and Riverview Developments.  

Located along the NSW and ACT border, the masterplanned community will eventually be home to 30,000 people across four suburbs. Over the next 30 years, it will deliver 11,500 new homes, with 6500 in the ACT. 

The latest release in new suburb Macnamara offers lots from 419sqm to 851sqm.  

The estate includes pedestrian and cycling paths, schools, and a local centre opening in 2026. 

Another SLA project, the North Wright Sustainable Precinct, is a boutique development of 43 all-electric homes in two- and three-bedroom designs.  

Each home is separately titled with no body corporate fees and connects to landscaped gardens, open space, a park and a picnic area.

Energy efficiency ratings will range from 7.2 to 8.9 stars, with features such as rooftop solar, insulation and heat recovery ventilation. 

Victoria 

Victoria is forecast to see jobs growth of 16.9% by 2034. New housing supply is being added in targeted growth corridors, including suburbs like Wollert in Melbourne’s north, 26km from the CBD. 

Mason Quarter by Cedar Woods is a 64-hectare masterplanned community that will deliver 800 homes across a range of lot sizes to suit different budgets.  

It will be within walking distance of the future Wollert town centre, a proposed primary school, sporting reserve and other community facilities.  

Residents will also be close to shopping centres, transport links – including the proposed train station – and a 7.9-hectare conservation reserve. 

Nearby, Hexa Group’s Lumina will deliver 266 townhomes within Lendlease’s Aurora community.  

Homes range from 125sqm to 219sqm, with 22 unique floorplans from two to three storeys and two to five bedrooms.  

Residents will have easy access to Aurora Village shopping, schools, parks and the future Aurora North train line. 

Lumina will also feature Lumina Central – a planned town centre with dining and entertainment options, located next to the proposed Wollert South train station. 

Northern Territory 

Jobs in the Northern Territory are projected to grow by 14.2% over the next decade, with demand for both urban and semi-rural housing.

In Durack, The Heights by Urbex offers lots ranging from 416sqm to 772sqm.  

The estate is close to parks, walking trails and bike paths. Schools, Charles Darwin University, Palmerston city centre, the Darwin CBD and major roads are all nearby too.  

For those seeking a country feel with city convenience, Marlow Country Estate by Strangways Developments will feature 103 homes in bushland surrounds.  

The estate is two minutes from Palmerston CBD and 20 minutes from Darwin, with proximity to shopping, schools, recreation and the Marlow Lagoon Recreation Area.  

Every lot is fully serviced with water, sewer, underground power and landscaping. 

Western Australia 

Western Australia is also set for a 14.2% jobs growth over the coming decade, with Perth’s northern corridor a major focus for new residential development.

Ashby by Endeavour Developments offers more than 70 lots within walking distance of local shops and schools, just 25 minutes from Perth.  

The community is also close to Lake Joondalup and major shopping centres. 

In the East Wanneroo growth corridor, Grevillea by Stockland will provide 1700 residential lots and an over-50s land lease community, Halcyon Grevillea. 

Schools, shopping centres, parks and a planned regional sporting facility will all be within easy reach, positioning the precinct as one of Perth’s next major growth hubs. 

Are you looking to build your home? Check out our dedicated New Homes section.

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If you’re thinking of buying or selling a home this spring, there are five factors to watch out for that are shaping property markets right across Australia.  

Rising home prices, interest rate cuts, new investor hotspots, shifting housing supply and a new boost for first-home buyers are set to dominate this spring selling season. 

The next three months will be closely watched since spring is the most popular time to sell a home in Australia, when homes and gardens look their best. 

REA Group senior economist Eleanor Creagh said Australia’s housing market was poised for more home price growth.  

“Looking ahead, the combination of lower interest rates, increased borrowing capacities and improved sentiment is expected to continue to drive demand,” she said.   

“Constrained new housing supply, strong population growth and the expansion of the Home Guarantee Scheme from October will also maintain upward pressure on prices.”  

1. Interest rates  

Households have been delivered some interest rate relief this year, following the Reserve Bank of Australia’s interest rate cuts in February, May and August.  

Mortgage rates, while still elevated compared with pre-pandemic levels, have eased enough to improve borrowing capacity for homeowners and home buyers.  

Lenders have also been competing more aggressively on fixed-rate loans, offering sharper deals to attract business. 

The rate cuts have not only boosted borrowing capacities, but they have improved sentiment and drawn buyers back into the property market, according to Bec Owens, real estate agent and sales manager at Peterswald in Hobart.  

“The rate cuts that we’ve already had have started to give people a bit more confidence to move forward with transactions,” she said.  

“We expect that our spring is looking shaping up to be quite busy, particularly if we do get another boost in confidence from further interest rate cuts.”  

2. Home prices  

Aussie home prices have been rising this year, with the latest PropTrack Home Price Index recording eight consecutive months of national price growth. 

National home prices rose 0.5% in August, and were up 5.3% over the past year, adding almost $48,000 to the value of the median home price in Australia.  

But property markets have been moving at different speeds throughout the country, with the biggest capital cities, Sydney and Melbourne, making a comeback.  

How home prices changed around Australia in August

“Demand has re‑accelerated in Sydney and Melbourne, marking a turnaround from the slower conditions observed in late 2024,” Ms Creagh said.  

“By contrast, Adelaide and Perth are still growing briskly, but at a slower pace compared to the same period last year.”  

The reignition of home price growth in Australia’s biggest cities has been driving some buyers, especially first-home buyers, to act sooner in case home prices grew beyond their reach again. 

3. First-home buyers  

But there is a little more help on the way for first-home buyers this spring after the federal government brought forward the start date of its expanded 5% deposit scheme to October rather than next year.  

It will help first-home buyers get into the property market sooner, allowing them to apply for a home loan with just a 5% deposit while avoiding paying costly lenders mortgage insurance (LMI). 

Property experts have welcomed the scheme while also acknowledging that this will have the effect of putting more money into certain market segments, therefore pushing prices up.  

“There can be no doubt, that at least in the short term, that this announcement will see home prices rise,” Housing Industry Association chief economist Tim Reardon said.  

“Removing the requirement for LMI provides [first-home buyers] with an extra $25,000 in their deposit and will see more FHBs active in the market from 1 October 2025.” 

4. Property investors  

Property investors are likely to be on the move as well this spring, thanks to lower borrowing costs and rising home prices.  

In recent years, investors have made their mark on Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth to ride the rising home price tide, but many investors have trained their sights on a new capital city in recent times.  

Darwin has become an investor hotspot as a result of its affordable property prices and increasing rents, according to Elders Top End Group real estate agent Derek Hart. 

“We don’t just have local buyers now, we have investors coming into Darwin, and it’s increasing prices,” he said.   

“We’ve got the cheapest properties out of the capital cities and some of the highest rents, so the yield returns are a huge attraction for investors.” 

Mr Hart said the Darwin property market was the most buoyant it had been in the 18 years he had been selling homes.   

And the numbers back it up, with the median home price in Darwin growing 10.4% during the year to August, according to PropTrack.  

5. Housing supply 

Going into spring, the number of homes that would be available for sale was unclear, but real estate agents were hopeful that listings would rise.  

The latest data showed that new listings were down 7.7% year-on-year in July nationally, but it varied city by city. 

Canberra new listings were only 0.4% lower in July compared to the same time last year, but at the other end, Hobart new listings were down by 13.5% during the same period.  

In places like Perth, there was a shortage of homes for sale, which made the local property market fiercely competitive, real estate agent and sales associate at Peard Real Estate – Hillarys, Gemma Andrews, said. 

“We expect a rise in listings as part of the seasonal market cycle, providing more opportunities for buyers,” Ms Andrews said.  

New home construction remains patchy across the country, keeping the pressure on home prices for new and existing homes.  

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GoodNight Tasmania launch — Tony Clark, left, with Tony Morrison and Jeremy Wilkinson. Picture: Supplied

An initiative to provide shelter to those who are most in need has kicked off statewide.

GoodNight Tasmania, a partnership between Backpack Bed for Homeless and The Harcourts Foundation, has officially launched with the distribution of Backpack Beds to nine organisations supporting Tasmania’s homeless population across Burnie, Launceston, and Hobart.

The initiative addresses the urgent need for immediate shelter solutions for Tasmanians sleeping rough, providing portable, weatherproof beds that offer comfort and dignity to those in vulnerable situations.

Nine key organisations have received their first shipment of Backpack Beds, including Launceston City Mission, The Launceston Benevolent Society, Shekinah House Inc, St Vincent de Paul Society (TAS), Anglicare Tasmania, Hobart City Mission, Neighbourhood Centre, The Link Youth Health Service, and Uniting VIC/TAS Organisation.

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GoodNight Tasmania launch.

“This partnership is a critical step in providing immediate relief and hope to those experiencing homelessness in Tasmania,” said Tony Clark, chief executive of Backpack Beds Australia.

The Harcourts Foundation’s initial donation of $22,500 has funded the first shipment of 150 Backpack Beds.

Pauline Smith, head of The Harcourts Foundation, said: “We are proud to support GoodNight Tasmania and help ensure that more Tasmanians have access to safe and dignified shelter.”

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First round of Backpack Beds being delivered.

The associated fundraising campaign, launched during Homelessness Week, has already exceeded expectations, with 189 beds currently pledged through the campaign website.

The campaign aims to deliver 231 Backpack Beds to Tasmanians experiencing homelessness.

Harcourts Tasmania chief executive Tony Morrison emphasised the broader impact. He said the impact of these Backpack Beds extends beyond just a place to sleep.

“They offer a sense of security and dignity to individuals in vulnerable situations,” he said.

The initial donation of 150 Backpack Beds was to help the 231 unsheltered homeless in Tasmania, a figure based on 2021 ABS data that represents recorded unsheltered homeless on any given night.

Harcourts agent Cordell Richardson.

Mr Morrison said, from speaking to local organisations, that the need for emergency relief and housing far exceeds this figure — possibly by six times.

“We know from speaking to local organisations on the ground that the need for emergency relief and housing in our community far exceeds this figure,” he said.

“We hope the Tasmanian community will get behind this campaign to help us exceed the target and provide Backpack Beds to unsheltered people across Tasmania.”

Harcourts Launceston director Jeremy Wilkinson said the GoodNight Tasmania campaign demonstrates the power of community collaboration in “addressing the urgent needs of our homeless population”.

For more information, visit the GoodNight Tasmania website.

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Rising home prices, expensive mortgages and competitive rental markets are prompting younger Australians to rethink their baby plans.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data forecasts an extra ten million people will be living in Australia by 2050, bringing the nation’s population to almost 38 million.

But rising living and property costs in the wake of Covid mean that number is unlikely to be propped up by births. Instead, the majority of that 10 million are expected to be migrants of workforce age.

A declining birth rate presents a genuine threat to long-term economic growth but with property prices jumping by up to $66,000 in just a year in some parts of the country, many people are losing the chance to set themselves up sufficiently for having children.

Research from KPMG shows Australia’s birth rate remains well below its pre-pandemic rate, despite a slight bounce back in the past year.

Australia saw 292,500 births in 2024 – a 2.6% uptake on 2023 numbers but far below the 304,000 births in 2019.

The number of children over a woman’s lifetime, known as the fertility rate, needs to sit at 2.1 children to sustain Australia’s population. In 2024, the nation’s rate sat at just 1.51 children.

The Covid and post-Covid high inflation environment in the years since means households are grappling with complex decisions around exactly how, when and where to spend hard-earned money.

Cost of living has always dictated how and when Australians choose to start or grow a family, with rising mortgage rates, high property prices, rental affordability and housing supply are central in this.

Home prices nationally are 5.3% more expensive than in mid-2024, when the median home price was $795,000. Back in July 2019, the nation’s median dwelling value was $524,744.

With economic pressures driving declining birth rates, it is expected to take a long time before Australia exceeds the 350,000 births a year figure needed to sustain its economy.

Regions and outer suburbs doing the heavy lifting

The baby bounce back Australia experienced last year was largely outside of capital cities.

In keeping with that, regional areas have seen significant population growth since Covid thanks in part to interstate migration spurred by a relatively more affordable lifestyle and home prices.

In regional Australia, there were 2.5% more births in 2024 than there were in 2019.

By contrast, the birth rate in Sydney – the nation’s most expensive capital city – was down 9.4% in the same period.

Brisbane and Adelaide saw drops of 5.4% and 4.1% respectively, while Perth is the only capital city where more children are being born now than in 2019.

Regional hotspots Geelong and Newcastle experienced record-high birth numbers last year, while numbers were also up on the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, in Cairns, Townsville and Wollongong.

All of Australia’s largest regional areas had more births in 2024 than in 2023, with Geelong, Darwin and Newcastle recording the most highest increases.

While capital cities remain significantly more expensive than their regional counterparts, baby numbers are taking off in some capital city centres where affordable pockets can still be found.

In Sydney, the five suburbs with the most births in 2024 are all located in the more affordable western region of the city.

Demand in these areas in unlikely to slow, with increasing infrastructure and new homes investment proving attractive for young buyers.

In Melbourne, the total fertility rate dropped to 1.40 in the last year, representing the lowest rate among the major cities.

The figures correlated with Melbourne’s embattled property market, which continues to feel lasting negative effects from its extensive Covid lockdown.

Once firmly the country’s second most expensive capital, Melbourne has plunged to the third cheapest option after Darwin and Hobart.

With a median home price of $830,000 thanks to growth of 2.1% between July 2023 and July 2024, the city is finally starting to pick back up.

The western and northern growth corridors are seeing the biggest baby boom, according to KPMG, providing much-needed overall population growth to the state.

‘Greenfield suburbs’ – undeveloped locations outside of urban centres – have proven to be big hitters when it comes to births in 2024, driving home the idea that affordability and space are taking precedence over city proximity.

Brisbane recorded the highest fertility rate on the east coast last year, with 30,000 births in total.

This increase of 1.8% on 2023 figures accompanies south east Queensland’s growing popularity among young families.

The outer suburbs of Brisbane heading to popular and booming Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast regions have come out on top for birth rates.

Brisbane is the only east coast capital with a fertility rate above the national average, continuing to attract more young families from other parts of the country thanks to its hot affordable pockets.

KPMG defined south east Queensland’s ‘baby corridor’ area as westwards towards Ipswich and south towards Logan.

Liveability in these areas will need further infrastructure, new homes, amenities and transport in order to be sustainable.

Perth has experienced the highest rate of recovery of any capital, KPMG found, with approximately 27,000 births in 2004.

At the same time, Perth has seen some of the strongest median home price growth of any capital since Covid, having recently cemented itself as the third-priciest Aussie city.

While buyers can get better bang for their buck in other cities, Perth’s continuing affordability compared to Sydney and Brisbane has secured it as a key hotspot for future population growth.

With the nation still in need of higher birth rates, current migration assumptions are making it harder to map out how property prices could be affected by where people choose to have families.

While younger Australians previously followed a standard pattern of relocating to a city before moving to a regional area aged 45-55, younger buyers are now opting for deals in regional areas in order to balance costs.

Prices are on the up in regional areas but locations where homes remain affordable at any given time are most likely to see increased birth rates.

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Aussie households have been splashing the cash on the back of recent rate cuts, almost outstripping the government as the major growth driver in the economy.

Latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows the nation’s economy is now well-positioned for a rebound after rising 0.6% in the June quarter.

The growth was slightly ahead of economists’ expectations, with household and government spending leading the contributors.

While the quarterly figures look positive, 2024-25 was still the weakest financial year for growth in Australia since the early 1990s, excluding 2019-20.

The annual growth of 1.8% was slightly better than the 1.6% anticipated by the Reserve Bank.

Household spending on the rise

Household spending jumped 0.9% in the quarter, while gross domestic product per capita increased 0.2% following a decrease in March.

It comes after households received cash rate cuts in February and May – the first in more than four years.

This was felt in net national disposable income, which lifted 0.1% per person, while household spending became the main contributor to economic growth.

Wants were higher than needs for households over the quarter, with discretionary spending up 1.4% against an 0.5% increase for essential spending.

ABS head of national accounts Tom Lay said end of financial year sales, new product releases and the unusual proximity of the Easter and ANZAC Day public holidays were key factors for discretionary spending.

Consumers also spent on transport services (+1.7%), hotels, cafes and restaurants (0.7%) in the quarter.

The household savings ratio eased slightly to 4.2% but was revised up to 5.2% for the March quarter.

Cyclone impact

March GDP figures were dampened significantly by Cyclone Alfred, which caused widespread destruction across south east Queensland and northern New South Wales.

In the June quarter however, those impacted were major drivers for the economy, with both states experiencing higher sales as goods and items were replaced.

The growth in health (+1.9%) in the quarter was a larger contributor to essential spending due to use of medical services linked to flu season.

Electricity and gas (+2.9%) also rose as electricity rebates trailed off, notably in Queensland and Western Australia.

Government spending

Government spending increased 1% in the quarter and was largely drive by increased defence spending (+3.2%).

There was also a 2.4% increase on social benefits to households, which includes the cost of bulk bulling and Medicare benefits which align to the quarter covering flu season.

The cost of running the 2025 Federal Election also put up the government’s costs between April and June.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers was positive on the results, saying the economy is “gathering momentum”.

“This was a welcome and substantial pick-up in growth,” he said. “It is the equal fastest quarterly growth rate in almost three years and the fastest annual growth rate in almost two years.”

Dr Chalmers said Australia’s economy is in an “enviable” position despite global political unrest.

“Last financial year, we achieved what no other major advanced economy could – continuous economic growth.

“Australia now has the equal fasts annual growth when compared to the major advanced economies.”

Despite this, Westpac warned there is little guarantee the pick-up in consumption will continue.

“Some of the strong quarterly gains looks to be consumers responding to discounting and taking longer than usual holidays around the Easter and ANZAC day public holiday period,” senior economist Pat Bustamante said.

“The Westpac–DataX Card Tracker Index shows a slowdown since mid-year, suggesting some of the lift in momentum may have faded.”

This article first appeared on Mortgage Choice and has been republished with permission.

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