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The Report is aimed at finding employment growth areas targeted towards builders and tradies and identifies Hotspots in all states and territories. Once again the HIA Hunter region was well represented in the report.
“No less than 11 areas of the Hunter region qualify as housing Hotspots based on their strong performance in terms of building approvals and population growth,” commented HIA Executive Director for Hunter, Craig Jennion.
“Thornton – Millers Forest, is again the HIA Hunter regions number one building hotspot with a population growth rate of 9.3% and $129.2 million in building approvals”.
“Second on the list, Branxton – Greta – Pokolbin, had a population growth rate of 5.2% and $121.1 million in building approvals”.
“Third was Warnervale – Wadalba on the Central Coast with a population growth rate of 4.2% and $103.2 million in building approvals”.
“The report found that whilst Australia’s population growth was constrained due to closed borders the value of building works approved and the growth rates of the local population has been very high locally”.
“COVID-19 has also seen consumer preferences shift away from inner-city apartment style living to detached housing in regional areas. This shift saw more Hunter based areas in this edition of HIA’s Population and Building Hotspots Report,” concluded Mr Jennion.
An area qualifies as a Hotspot in the Hunter Valley and Central Coast region if at least $50 million worth of residential building work was approved during the 2020/21 financial year, and its rate of population growth is faster than the 0.2 per cent national average.
Below table details the 11 Hunter Region Building and Population Areas.
**SAs with an excess of $50 million in residential building work approved in 2020/21 and with an annual population growth rate in excess of the national rate of 0.2%
Source: HIA Economics
Statistical Area Level 2 | Statistical Area Level 4 | Residential Building Approved 2020/21 ($'000) |
Annual Population Growth Rate (%) |
1 Thornton - Millers Forest | Hunter Valley exc Newcastle | 129,178 | 9.3 |
2 Branxton - Greta - Pokolbin | Hunter Valley exc Newcastle | 121,123 | 5.2 |
3 Warnervale - Wadalba | Central Coast | 103,187 | 4.2 |
4 Kurri Kurri - Abermain | Hunter Valley exc Newcastle | 91,603 | 3.8 |
5 Maitland - West | Hunter Valley exc Newcastle | 144,764 | 3.7 |
6 Williamtown - Medowie - Karuah | Hunter Valley exc Newcastle | 94,731 | 3.4 |
7 Newcastle - Cooks Hill | Newcastle and Lake Macquarie | 93,539 | 3.3 |
8 Edgeworth - Cameron Park | Newcastle and Lake Macquarie | 67,931 | 3.1 |
9 Morisset - Cooranbong | Newcastle and Lake Macquarie | 77,222 | 2.9 |
10 Warners Bay - Boolaroo | Newcastle and Lake Macquarie | 69,248 | 2.3 |
11 Maryland - Fletcher - Minmi | Newcastle and Lake Macquarie | 50,557 | 2.3 |
“The challenge before the Australian government to complete 1.2 million homes over the next five years, is necessary to reduce the inequity occurring across the housing system,” stated HIA’s Chief Economist, Tim Reardon.
“Australia is closing in on the weakest two years of lending for new home building in over two decades,” stated HIA Senior Economist Tom Devitt.
The NSW Government has recently introduced additional protection measures and increased monetary penalties for environmental offences, including pollution of waterways.
Members may have seen reports regarding the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) issuing ‘show cause notices’ and suspending the building registration of a Victorian domestic builder after identifying multiple falsified Domestic Building Insurance (DBI) certificates.