Published 6 Sept 2026
What we analyse
Building costs
What a new house costs to build, how long it takes, which cities are cheapest, and where material and labour prices are heading.
Insurance and warranty
Home warranty schemes, what happens if your builder collapses, and why premiums are climbing, state by state.
Supply and approvals
Approvals, starts and completions against the 1.2 million homes target, in every state and territory, and how Australia compares with the world.
Rules for your block
Setbacks, easements, frontage, building envelopes and estate covenants: the rules that decide what you can build.
Energy and new standards
7-star ratings, NatHERS, all-electric homes and what the new energy rules add to a build.
New ways to build
Modular, prefab, duplexes, granny flats and build-to-rent: the housing types on the rise and what they cost.
Design, compare & match your lifestyle with Australia's leading builders
Thrive Homes
Guides for getting it right
Property & title terms · Updated 29 Sep 2026What is site coverage? Limits and private open space rules in AustraliaSite coverage is the proportion of a lot's area covered by buildings, expressed as a percentage. In New South Wales, the complying-development rules define it as the proportion of a site area covered…Read the guide
Property & title terms · Updated 29 Sep 2026Driveway crossover rules in NSW, Victoria and Queensland: permits, fees and approvalsA driveway crossover is the part of a driveway that sits on public land, from the property boundary to the edge of the road. It is the section approved and inspected by the relevant road authority. In…Read the guide
Property & title terms · Updated 29 Sep 2026Torrens, community and strata title: what a house-and-land buyer ownsTorrens title is the registered ownership system used in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. The registered owner of a lot generally holds it subject only to the interests recorded on its title,…Read the guide
Property & title terms · Updated 28 Sep 2026Soil classification for a new home: what classes A to P mean for slabs and site costsA soil classification is the class an engineer assigns to a house block under AS 2870-2011, the Australian standard for residential slabs and footings. The classification shows how much the ground is…Read the guide
Property & title terms · Updated 28 Sep 2026Building over or near a sewer main: rules and approvals in NSW, Victoria and QueenslandBuild-over rules are the conditions that apply when building over or close to a sewer main. The authority is the sewerage service provider in Queensland and the water corporation in Victoria, Sydney a…Read the guide
Property & title terms · Updated 28 Sep 2026Bushfire attack level (BAL) ratings: what each level means for a house buildA bushfire attack level (BAL) rating is one of six construction levels in Australia's standard for building in bushfire-prone areas, AS 3959:2018. It reflects the level of bushfire exposure a building…Read the guide
Council, estate & planning rules · Updated 23 Sep 2026Queensland house setback rules: front, side and rear distances explainedQueensland's default setback rules depend mainly on the size of the lot. The Queensland Development Code (QDC) uses MP1.1 for a single detached house on a lot under 450 m² and MP1.2 for a lot of 450 m…Read the guide
Council, estate & planning rules · Updated 23 Sep 2026Small-lot house rules in Queensland: setbacks for lots under 450 square metresA small lot under Queensland's state siting rules is a lot of less than 450 m². A lot of 450 m² or more falls under the larger-lot rules.Read the guide
Council, estate & planning rules · Updated 23 Sep 2026Setback rules in Victoria: front, side and rear setbacks explainedThe setback rules for a new house in Victoria depend mainly on the size of the lot, whether a planning permit is required and whether separate small-lot or estate rules apply.Read the guide
Council, estate & planning rules · Updated 22 Sep 2026Complying development certificates in NSW: when a house can use a CDC instead of a DAA complying development certificate (CDC) confirms that a proposed development meets the rules required for complying development and the relevant building requirements. A council or a registered cert…Read the guide
Council, estate & planning rules · Updated 22 Sep 2026Front setback rules in NSW: minimum distances under the Housing Code and council rulesUnder the Housing Code, the minimum front setback for a new house in New South Wales is 4.5 m on a lot of more than 300 m² and up to 900 m². It is 3 m on a lot of 200 m² to 300 m², 6.5 m on a lot of m…Read the guide
Property & title terms · Updated 18 Sep 2026Easements on a block: what they are, how to find them, and building rulesAn easement is a legal right over part of a lot, held by someone other than the owner and registered on the title, for a stated purpose. Cardinia Shire Council's definition: an area of land or part of…Read the guide
Property & title terms · Updated 12 Aug 2026Battle-axe blocks in Australia: access handles, effective frontage and what fitsA battle-axe block is a lot that sits behind another lot and reaches the street through its own narrow strip of land, the access handle. The NSW Codes SEPP defines a battle-axe lot as one that has acc…Read the guide
Property & title terms · Updated 12 Aug 2026What is a building envelope? Public rules compared with private lot envelopesA building envelope is the three-dimensional space a dwelling may occupy on its lot. In Australia, the term is commonly used for two different types of envelope: one derived from public rules and one…Read the guide
Property & title terms · Updated 12 Aug 2026Corner blocks in Australia: secondary street setbacks, truncations and drivewaysA corner lot generally has one front setback, to the primary street, normally the street the lot is addressed to, plus a smaller secondary-street setback along the entire second street boundary. Under…Read the guide
Property & title terms · Updated 12 Aug 2026Estate design guidelines and covenants in Australia: what they controlDesign guidelines are private rules set by an estate developer for the design and construction of homes, and they can be binding through the land contract, a covenant or another registered restriction…Read the guide
Property & title terms · Updated 12 Aug 2026Zero-lot lines and boundary walls: how building to the boundary worksA zero-lot is a house wall directly on one side boundary, instead of the usual 0.9–1.5 m side setback. Where the rules allow this type of siting, the required clearance is generally retained on the ot…Read the guide
Property & title terms · Updated 3 Aug 2026What is a building setback? Front, side and rear setbacks explainedA setback is the minimum distance required between a lot boundary and a building. Front, side and rear setbacks reduce the portion of the lot that can be occupied by the building footprint.Read the guide
Property & title terms · Updated 10 Jul 2026Lot frontage in Australia: what it means, how it is measured and minimum block widthsThe reason width matters so much is arithmetic. Side setbacks, the clear strips the rules require between the house and each side boundary, reduce the space available for the house on both sides of th…Read the guideHome Ownership Resources & Insights
Buying costs, taxes & transactions · Updated 30 Sep 2026Upfront costs of buying a home in Australia: stamp duty and fees by stateOf the upfront buying costs with published government prices, stamp duty is the largest, ranging from $21,850 to $43,070 on an $800,000 established home depending on the state or territory. The NSW Go…Read full article →
Buying costs, taxes & transactions · Updated 30 Sep 2026Land tax in Australia: rates, thresholds and exemptions by state and territorySeven of Australia's eight states and territories charge land tax, an annual tax on the value of land, and the Northern Territory does not. The tax is calculated on the value of the land itself, not o…Read full article →
Buying costs, taxes & transactions · Updated 30 Sep 2026How much is stamp duty in each Australian state and territory?Stamp duty is a tax each Australian state and territory charges on the purchase of land, including a home. The amount generally rises with the property price, based on a scale set by each jurisdiction…Read full article →
Buying costs, taxes & transactions · Updated 30 Sep 2026How stamp duty has changed in Australia: bracket creep and the land tax debateNew South Wales did not change its transfer duty brackets from 1986 until 1 July 2019, apart from an additional duty on residential property valued over $3 million introduced in 2004, according to the…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 29 Sep 2026Population growth vs new housing in Australia: is building keeping up?In 2025 Australia added 399,100 people and completed 173,228 dwellings, equal to 2.30 people for each dwelling completed. Across the four years from 2022 to 2025 the ratio was 2.87, against 1.84 acros…Read full article →
Housing supply, demand & demographics · Updated 29 Sep 2026Northern Territory housing supply: what's driving development in Darwin?Northern Territory dwelling approvals reached 823 in 2025, up 59% from 518 in 2024 and 69% above the 2023 low of 486. Despite the recovery in approvals, dwelling completions remained weak. The NT comp…Read full article →
Housing supply, demand & demographics · Updated 29 Sep 2026Canberra housing trends: approvals are up and the construction backlog is easingThe territory needs to deliver 21,057 homes between July 2024 and June 2029, or about 4,211 homes a year. Approvals have improved sharply, rising 42% in the 12 months to June 2026, the strongest growt…Read full article →
Housing supply, demand & demographics · Updated 29 Sep 2026Tasmania housing supply statistics: why the state is falling behind its 2029 targetTasmania needs to complete 5,200 homes a year for five straight years to meet its Accord share. The state has not reached that pace in any recent financial year. Even at the peak of the HomeBuilder bo…Read full article →
Knockdown rebuild · Updated 29 Sep 2026Knockdown rebuild statistics in Australia: how many homes are demolished and rebuilt each year?Australia approved 30,864 KDR dwelling units in 2024–25, down 29% from the 2021–22 peak of 43,638. That is roughly one in six of all new residential dwelling approvals nationally, with KDR projects re…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 29 Sep 2026NSW populationNew South Wales had an estimated resident population of 8,670,105 at 31 March 2026, the most recent quarter in the ABS series.Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 29 Sep 2026Queensland populationQueensland had an estimated resident population of 5,739,461 at 31 March 2026, the most recent quarter in the ABS series.Read full article →
Housing supply, demand & demographics · Updated 29 Sep 2026South Australia housing statistics: supply, approvals and rental vacancy ratesGreater Adelaide added 18,647 residents in 2024–25, while South Australia approved 14,526 dwellings over the same period. Building approvals remained elevated through to July 2026, but completions wer…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 29 Sep 2026Victoria populationVictoria had an estimated resident population of 7,154,221 at 31 March 2026, the most recent quarter in the ABS data.Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 29 Sep 2026Western Australia populationWestern Australia had an estimated resident population of 3,096,222 at 31 March 2026, the most recent quarter in the ABS series. That represented 11.1 per cent of Australia's 27,921,150 people.Read full article →
Housing supply, demand & demographics · Updated 28 Sep 2026NSW housing supply statistics: is the state building enough homes?New South Wales is projected to fall about 119,000 homes short of its Housing Accord target by June 2029 and is not expected to reach it until March 2032, almost three years late. The state needs to b…Read full article →
Housing supply, demand & demographics · Updated 28 Sep 2026Queensland construction pipeline: where new homes are being builtQueensland approved 42,502 dwellings in 2025, up 14.0% on 2024 and the strongest result since 2021. More than half of those approvals were in Greater Brisbane, showing how heavily the state's pipeline…Read full article →
Housing supply, demand & demographics · Updated 28 Sep 2026Can Victoria meet its housing target? Approvals, completions and supply gapsVictoria completed 56,383 dwellings in 2024–25, the lowest annual total in a decade and about 4,800 below the 61,200 a year needed to meet its Housing Accord share. Since the Accord began in July 2024…Read full article →
Housing supply, demand & demographics · Updated 28 Sep 2026WA housing statistics: Perth population growth is outpacing new constructionWestern Australia completed 22,516 homes in 2024–25. That was about 87% of the 25,800 homes a year needed to meet its 129,000-home National Housing Accord target by June 2029.Read full article →
Builder risk & warranty insurance · Updated 23 Sep 2026Why builder insolvencies increased after 2020Construction company failures rose from 1,284 in 2021-22 to 3,596 in 2024-25, a 180% increase in three years, before easing to 3,472 in 2025-26. Construction remained the single largest industry for i…Read full article →
Build costs & construction activity · Updated 23 Sep 2026Australian building material costs: how much prices have increased since 2020Building material costs are still rising, but much more slowly than during the pandemic cost surge.Read full article →
Build costs & construction activity · Updated 23 Sep 2026Cheapest cities to build a house in AustraliaAdelaide is the cheapest of Australia's five major capitals to build a detached house, with an average construction cost of $389,949. Sydney is the most expensive at $565,749, leaving a gap of almost…Read full article →
International housing comparisons · Updated 23 Sep 2026What construction cost trends mean for homebuyers in 2026Building a new house in Australia now costs an average of $474,939, up 37.5% since 2019–20. Construction inflation has cooled since the 2022 peak, but build costs have not gone backwards. Homes are st…Read full article →
Home insurance, climate risk & housing costs · Updated 22 Sep 2026Climate risk and home insurance in Australia: flood, bushfire and cyclone exposureWeather perils, including storm and hail, flood, bushfire and cyclone risk, account for 28% of the average Australian home insurance premium, making them the largest component of the modelled national…Read full article →
Council, estate & planning rules · Updated 22 Sep 2026Boundary fence rules: heights, cost sharing, front fencesBoundary fence rules in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland come from two separate sets of rules in each state. A dividing-fences Act covers who pays for the fence between two properties, while t…Read full article →
Council, estate & planning rules · Updated 22 Sep 2026What is the minimum lot size for a duplex in Australia? Dual occupancy rules by stateThere is no single minimum lot size because different state and council rules apply depending on where the block is located. In New South Wales and Queensland the documented minimums reviewed for this…Read full article →
Build costs & construction activity · Updated 22 Sep 2026What does it cost to build a house in Australia? (2026)Building a new house in Australia costs $474,939 on average for the structure alone, based on the latest ABS completion data. Add land, and the national total sits around $847,000 at the median, climb…Read full article →
Build costs & construction activity · Updated 22 Sep 2026What the post-2020 cost surge means for homebuilding in AustraliaHouse construction prices in Australia surged 40.8% between September 2020 and June 2024, according to ABS producer price data for house construction. That increase has permanently reset the cost base…Read full article →
Housing supply, demand & demographics · Updated 22 Sep 2026Australian cities building the most homes in 2026Melbourne approved more new homes than any other capital city in 2025–26, recording 42,788 dwelling approvals. That was 20.9% higher than Sydney, which ranked second with 35,404 approvals despite bein…Read full article →
Emerging building types & construction methods · Updated 22 Sep 2026Are Australians still a detached-house nation?Separate houses still dominate Australia's housing stock, accounting for 72.3% of occupied private dwellings in 2021. But the share has been steadily declining, down from 76.6% in 2006. At the same ti…Read full article →
Housing supply, demand & demographics · Updated 22 Sep 2026Why is Australia falling short of its housing target?Australia is behind the pace needed to meet its 1.2 million-home target. By the March 2026 quarter, 308,000 homes had been completed, equal to about 26% of the National Housing Accord goal. To reach t…Read full article →
Housing supply, demand & demographics · Updated 22 Sep 2026Is Australia on track to build 1.2 million homes by June 2029?Australia has completed 307,635 homes in the first seven quarters of the National Housing Accord, leaving the country 112,365 homes behind the pace needed to reach 1.2 million by June 2029. Australia…Read full article →International housing comparisons · Updated 22 Sep 2026Construction labour shortages in Australia: which trades are most needed?Australia's construction workforce has reached a record 1.37 million workers, but the sector is still short of the trades needed to keep up with housing demand. Core residential trades are in shortage…Read full article →
Council, estate & planning rules · Updated 22 Sep 2026Granny flat rules by state: size limits, setbacks and approval paths in NSW, Victoria and QueenslandA granny flat is a second, self-contained dwelling on the same lot as an existing house. New South Wales and Queensland call it a secondary dwelling, while Victoria uses the term small second dwelling…Read full article →
Council, estate & planning rules · Updated 22 Sep 2026Pool setback and fencing rules by state: how close can a pool be to the boundary in NSW, Victoria and QueenslandA backyard pool in New South Wales, Victoria or Queensland is governed by two separate sets of rules, and on estate land by a third. Siting rules decide where on the lot the water can sit. In New Sout…Read full article →
Housing supply, demand & demographics · Updated 21 Sep 2026Where is residential land still available in Australia?Australia has large volumes of land zoned for housing across every state, but much of it is not yet ready to build on. In New South Wales, for example, 59% of zoned residential land in the Sydney Mega…Read full article →
Build costs & construction activity · Updated 21 Sep 2026How long does it take to build a house in Australia?The average time from approval to handover is now about 11.5 months for a house, 14.8 months for a townhouse and almost 33 months for an apartment in Australia. While homes still take much longer to b…Read full article →
Choosing a builder · Updated 21 Sep 2026Single vs double storey: cost, setbacks and block-width differencesA double-storey design has a median advertised base price of $495,700 compared with $314,600 for a single-storey design, based on prices collected in July 2026. The gap is $181,100, or 58 per cent of…Read full article →
Build costs & construction activity · Updated 21 Sep 2026The states with the fastest and slowest home build times in AustraliaBuilding a new home in Australia involves two key waiting periods: approval to commencement (the time from receiving planning approval to breaking ground), and commencement to completion (the time fro…Read full article →
Build costs & construction activity · Updated 21 Sep 2026Is it cheaper to build or buy in Australia?Building a new home is cheaper than buying an established one in four of Australia's eight capital cities. However, the comparison is more complex than the headline result suggests, because the outcom…Read full article →
Choosing a builder · Updated 21 Sep 2026Can a builder increase the price before the contract is signed?The home building Acts of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland regulate the price through a signed building contract and do not set a validity period for a quote or tender. In New South Wales a co…Read full article →
Choosing a builder · Updated 18 Sep 2026How to check a builder's licence and history in NSW, Victoria and QueenslandA builder's licence can be checked for free, without a login, on the state regulator's public register in each of the three states. In New South Wales the register is Verify licence, which provides "l…Read full article →
Choosing a builder · Updated 18 Sep 2026Provisional sums and prime cost items: what each one means in a home building contractA provisional sum is an estimate for work that cannot be priced exactly when the contract is signed, even after the builder has made reasonable inquiries. It covers the work and any materials needed.…Read full article →
Government schemes & housing policy · Updated 18 Sep 2026A history of Australian housing policy: every major scheme and how it workedIn 2025, dwelling approvals rose 13.3%, while completions fell 2.9%. Over the same period, the share of Australian households in social housing fell from 4.7% in 2013 to 4.0% in 2025, despite governme…Read full article →
Government schemes & housing policy · Updated 18 Sep 2026First home buyer support in Australia in 2026: grants, guarantees and concessions by stateMore than one in three first home buyers nationally used the federal deposit guarantee scheme in 2024–25, up from one in ten in 2020–21, the scheme's first full year of operation. Seasonally adjusted…Read full article →
Government schemes & housing policy · Updated 18 Sep 2026Australia’s 1.2 million homes target: progress, funding, and who is responsibleAustralia is behind the straight-line pace needed to build 1.2 million new homes by June 2029. The target requires an average of 60,000 completions per quarter over five years. Over the first six quar…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 18 Sep 2026Perth populationGreater Perth had an estimated resident population of 2,452,765 at 30 June 2025. That was the fourth-largest population of the eight capital cities, 380,759 fewer than Greater Brisbane's 2,833,524 and…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 18 Sep 2026Sydney populationGreater Sydney had an estimated resident population of 5,638,830 at 30 June 2025. That was the largest population of the eight capital cities, 203,240 more than Greater Melbourne's 5,435,590. About on…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 18 Sep 2026Interstate migration in Australia: which states are people moving to?People changed their home state 362,891 times in the 2025 calendar year. That is an average of about 990 moves a day, derived by dividing the annual total by 365. Each interstate move appears as an ar…Read full article →
Government schemes & housing policy · Updated 18 Sep 2026Government housing schemes Australia 2026: federal, state and territory supportAustralia has more than two dozen federal, state and territory housing schemes in 2026, including deposit guarantees, shared equity schemes, first home owner grants and stamp duty concessions. More th…Read full article →
Government schemes & housing policy · Updated 18 Sep 2026Social housing overcrowding in Australia: households and underutilised dwellingsPublic housing had an overcrowding rate of 4.3% at June 2025, while state-owned and managed Indigenous housing (SOMIH) had a rate of 22.9% and community housing had a rate of 3.5%. Indigenous communit…Read full article →
Emerging building types & construction methods · Updated 18 Sep 2026Granny flats in Australia: data, rules, costs and official gapsGranny flats are allowed in every Australian state and territory, but the data is fragmented across industry estimates, planning approvals, building permits and state rules. The clearest available bui…Read full article →
Emerging building types & construction methods · Updated 18 Sep 2026Emerging home types in Australia: modular, prefab, duplexes and the changing dwelling mixDetached houses still make up most of Australia's homes, but their share has slipped over two decades. In 2021, 72.3% of occupied private dwellings were separate houses, down from 75.3% in 2001.Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 18 Sep 2026Melbourne populationGreater Melbourne had an estimated resident population of 5,435,590 at 30 June 2025. That was the second-largest population among the eight capital cities, 203,240 fewer than Greater Sydney's 5,638,83…Read full article →
Choosing a builder · Updated 18 Sep 2026Builder base price vs site costs: what an advertised price includesA builder's advertised base price is the starting price for the standard version of a project home design. The NSW Planning Portal describes it as usually a flat rate that includes a list of standard…Read full article →
Choosing a builder · Updated 18 Sep 2026How to compare builder inclusions like-for-like: a new home checklist for AustraliaA builder inclusions list sets out the fixtures, finishes, structure and site services that a base price covers for one inclusions tier. Across the four documents reviewed, the lists ran from 43 line…Read full article →
Choosing a builder · Updated 18 Sep 2026Display homes vs standard inclusions: what is included in a builder's base price?A display home can differ from the advertised base price because all five sources examined state that pictured or displayed items may include upgrades or other items the advertised price does not cove…Read full article →
Choosing a builder · Updated 18 Sep 2026Fixed-price building contracts: what is fixed and what can changeA fixed-price building contract fixes the price of the work described in its plans and specifications, subject to the circumstances in which the contract price is allowed to change under each state's…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 16 Sep 2026Births, deaths and natural increase in AustraliaAustralia had an estimated 299,984 births and 188,445 deaths in 2025, leaving a natural increase of 111,539 people. Births increased from 289,649 in 2024 to 299,984 in 2025, a rise of 10,335, or 3.6 p…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 16 Sep 2026Australia’s median age: the age profile and the generationsAustralia’s median age was 38.4 years at 30 June 2025. Half of the estimated resident population of 27,611,026 people were older than that age and half were younger. The median age for females was 39.…Read full article →
Housing supply, demand & demographics · Updated 16 Sep 2026How many Australians own investment properties, and how that has changed since 2010Australian Taxation Office data shows that 2.34 million individual taxpayers held an interest in a rental property in 2023–24, up 32.3% from 1.77 million in 2010–11. A separate Australian Bureau of St…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 16 Sep 2026Brisbane populationGreater Brisbane had an estimated resident population of 2,833,524 at 30 June 2025. That was the third-largest population of the eight capital cities, 380,759 more than Greater Perth's 2,452,765 and 2…Read full article →
Builder risk & warranty insurance · Updated 16 Sep 2026What happens when a home builder becomes insolvent in Australia?When a residential builder becomes insolvent mid-build, the amount a homeowner may recover depends on the state or territory, the contract date, the certificate and the way the builder failed. Austral…Read full article →
Emerging building types & construction methods · Updated 16 Sep 2026How many homes are built in Australia each year?Two distinct cycles have shaped Australia's housing output since 2010:Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 16 Sep 2026Byron Bay populationThe Byron Bay Significant Urban Area had an estimated resident population of 11,482 at 30 June 2025. The Byron Shire council area, which surrounds the town and also covers Mullumbimby, Brunswick Heads…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 16 Sep 2026Sunshine Coast populationThe Sunshine Coast Significant Urban Area had an estimated resident population of 424,741 at 30 June 2025. That was the third largest population of the 19 urban areas in Queensland, behind Brisbane, w…Read full article →
Builder risk & warranty insurance · Updated 16 Sep 2026How many home warranty insurance claims are made in Australia?Home warranty insurance schemes are administered separately by each Australian jurisdiction. All jurisdictions except Tasmania currently have a scheme in force. Among the sources reviewed, Queensland,…Read full article →
Emerging building types & construction methods · Updated 16 Sep 2026Dual occupancy in Australia 2026: rules, approvals and how it differs from duplexesDual occupancy generally means* two dwellings on one lot,* although the exact rules differ by state and territory. Australia does not publish a national dual occupancy approvals dataset, so this artic…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 15 Sep 2026Newcastle populationThe Newcastle - Maitland Significant Urban Area had an estimated resident population of 541,634 at 30 June 2025. That made it the largest of the 36 urban areas in New South Wales apart from Sydney, wh…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 15 Sep 2026Townsville populationThe Townsville Significant Urban Area had an estimated resident population of 190,551 at 30 June 2025. That made it the fourth-largest of the 19 urban areas in Queensland, behind Brisbane at 2,745,086…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 15 Sep 2026Ballarat populationThe Ballarat Significant Urban Area had an estimated resident population of 120,939 at 30 June 2025. That was the third-largest population of the 21 urban areas in Victoria, behind Melbourne and Geelo…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 15 Sep 2026Bendigo populationThe Bendigo Significant Urban Area had an estimated resident population of 106,493 at 30 June 2025. That was the fourth-largest population of the 21 urban areas in Victoria, behind Melbourne at 5,328,…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 15 Sep 2026Noosa populationNoosa Shire had an estimated resident population of 59,551 at 30 June 2025. This ranked it 16th among Queensland's 78 council areas. Its population was lower than Gladstone's 69,046 and slightly highe…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 15 Sep 2026Wollongong populationThe Wollongong Significant Urban Area had an estimated resident population of 322,343 at 30 June 2025. That made Wollongong the fourth largest of the 36 urban areas in New South Wales, behind Sydney a…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 15 Sep 2026Geelong populationThe Geelong Significant Urban Area had an estimated resident population of 314,381 at 30 June 2025. It was the largest urban area in Victoria outside Melbourne. Melbourne's urban area had 5,328,274 pe…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 15 Sep 2026Toowoomba populationThe Toowoomba Significant Urban Area had an estimated resident population of 153,781 at 30 June 2025. That was the sixth-largest of Queensland's 19 urban areas, behind Brisbane, Gold Coast - Tweed Hea…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 15 Sep 2026Alice Springs populationThe Alice Springs Significant Urban Area had an estimated resident population of 30,875 at 30 June 2025, the highest annual estimate since 2001. The Northern Territory has two urban areas with at leas…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 2 Sep 2026Cairns populationThe Cairns Significant Urban Area had an estimated resident population of 164,149 at 30 June 2025. That was the fifth largest of Queensland’s 19 urban areas, behind Brisbane, Gold Coast - Tweed Heads,…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 31 Aug 2026Adelaide populationGreater Adelaide had an estimated resident population of 1,491,015 at 30 June 2025, the fifth-largest population of the eight capital cities. Perth, the fourth largest, had 2,452,765 people, and Canbe…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 31 Aug 2026Canberra populationCanberra had an estimated resident population of 484,630 at 30 June 2025. That was the sixth largest population among the eight capital cities. Adelaide, the fifth largest, had 1,491,015 people, and H…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 31 Aug 2026Darwin populationGreater Darwin had an estimated resident population of 159,284 at 30 June 2025. That was the smallest population of the eight capital cities. Hobart, the next smallest, had 255,250 people, equal to 1.…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 31 Aug 2026Gold Coast populationThe Gold Coast - Tweed Heads Significant Urban Area had an estimated resident population of 761,634 at 30 June 2025. That made it the sixth-largest urban area by population, and the largest that does…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 31 Aug 2026Hobart populationGreater Hobart had an estimated resident population of 255,250 at 30 June 2025. That was the smallest population of the six state capital cities and the seventh largest of all eight capitals. Darwin,…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 25 Aug 2026Immigration to Australia: the overseas migration numbers behind population growthAustralia gained 305,570 people from overseas migration in 2024-25, the second consecutive annual fall from the 2022-23 record. The ABS recorded 568,370 migrant arrivals and 262,800 migrant departures…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 25 Aug 2026When will Australia reach 30 million? Official population projectionsAustralia is projected to pass 30 million people during the 2031-32 financial year under the Centre for Population's central scenario. The ABS projection series place the crossing between 30 June 2031…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 25 Aug 2026Australia's fastest-growing cities and regionsPerth was the fastest-growing capital city in 2024-25 at 2.4 per cent, ahead of Brisbane at 2.1 per cent and Melbourne at 2.0 per cent; Melbourne added the most people, 105,030.Read full article →
Builder risk & warranty insurance · Updated 6 Aug 2026Public liability and construction insurance requirements for Australian buildersTasmania expressly makes public liability and contract works insurance a condition of holding specified builder licences, with a minimum public liability indemnity of $5 million for any one claim. Vic…Read full article →
Home insurance, climate risk & housing costs · Updated 6 Aug 2026How home insurance costs changed after Australia's major disastersHome insurance premiums in northern Australia rose 178% in real terms between 2007-08 and 2018-19, more than three times the 52% increase recorded across the rest of the country. By 2018-19, the avera…Read full article →
Home insurance, climate risk & housing costs · Updated 6 Aug 2026How many Australian households are underinsured?Insurance premiums, rebuilding costs and climate-related disasters have all increased the potential for home insurance underinsurance in Australia.Read full article →
Home insurance, climate risk & housing costs · Updated 6 Aug 2026Insurance for building a new home in Australia: costs, cover and requirementsBuilding and owning a new home can involve several types of insurance, with different policies applying during construction and after completion.Read full article →
International housing comparisons · Updated 6 Aug 2026How Australia's home building rate compares to other countriesAustralia completed 6.27 dwellings per 1,000 people in 2025, the lowest rate in 26 years and the seventh consecutive annual decline. That is 173,228 new homes for a population of 27.6 million.Read full article →
International housing comparisons · Updated 6 Aug 2026How does housing affordability in Australia compare internationally?Australia's price-to-income index reached 150.3 in the December quarter of 2025, measured against its own long-run average of 100. That was the highest reading among the 21 OECD countries with data fo…Read full article →
International housing comparisons · Updated 6 Aug 2026How home approvals compare in New Zealand and AustraliaNew Zealand approved more new homes per person than Australia from 2020 to 2024. Its largest lead came in the year ended January 2023, when New Zealand consented 9.7 dwellings per 1,000 residents, com…Read full article →
Builder risk & warranty insurance · Updated 6 Aug 2026Owner-builder insurance requirements in Australia: rules by state and territoryOwner-builders are not covered for defects in their own work under any operating statutory home warranty scheme in Australia. Four of eight states and territories exclude owner-built work outright, wh…Read full article →
Home insurance, climate risk & housing costs · Updated 6 Aug 2026Home insurance costs by state in Australia: where premiums are highestHome insurance premiums in Australia vary by location, with homeowners in some regions paying more than double the national average. Using official Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC…Read full article →
Choosing a builder · Updated 30 Jul 2026What home warranty insurance covers in Australia: state-by-state rules, limits and claim triggersHome warranty insurance requirements vary substantially across Australia. Cover becomes compulsory above $3,300 of building work in Queensland and at or above $25,000 in the Northern Territory. Betwee…Read full article →
Builder risk & warranty insurance · Updated 30 Jul 2026Home warranty insurance by state: thresholds, cover and maximum payouts across AustraliaSeven of Australia's eight states and territories run an active last-resort scheme for homeowners whose builder fails partway through a job. However, the protection available depends heavily on where…Read full article →
Home insurance, climate risk & housing costs · Updated 30 Jul 2026Are Australian homes becoming harder to insure?Insurance costs have risen sharply across Australia in recent years. Insurance CPI rose 16.2% in the year to December 2023, the fastest rise since March 2001, before easing through 2025.Read full article →
Housing supply, demand & demographics · Updated 24 Jul 2026How Australia's ageing population is changing housing and constructionAustralia's population aged 65 and over reached 4,700,531 people at 30 June 2024, up 80.0% since 2005, more than double the 34.8% growth in Australia's total population over the same period. Yet house…Read full article →
Population & demographic statistics · Updated 24 Jul 2026Australia populationAustralia's estimated resident population was 27,801,023 at 31 December 2025, the most recent quarter available in the official series. The count rose by 78,638 people, or 0.3 per cent, in the Decembe…Read full article →
Home insurance, climate risk & housing costs · Updated 24 Jul 2026Home insurance costs in Australia: premiums, location risk and price increasesHome insurance premiums in Australia rose 46.4% between 2021–22 and 2024–25, taking the national mean for combined home and contents cover to $2,360 a year. Building-only cover rose faster still, up 4…Read full article →
Home insurance, climate risk & housing costs · Updated 24 Jul 2026How much have home insurance premiums increased in Australia?The average combined home and contents insurance premium in Australia rose from $1,612 in 2021–22 to $2,360 in 2024–25, an increase of 46.4%, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commi…Read full article →
Housing supply, demand & demographics · Updated 24 Jul 2026What is driving housing demand in Australia in 2026? Population, migration and household formationNew household formation in Australia is projected to exceed net new housing supply by 24,000 dwellings in 2025–26, down from a 78,000-dwelling gap two years earlier, according to the National Housing…Read full article →
Housing supply, demand & demographics · Updated 24 Jul 2026How population growth has changed housing demand in Australia since 1990Australia's population has grown every decade since 1990: by 1.96 million in the 1990s, 3.00 million in the 2000s, and 3.62 million in the 2010s. A further 2.15 million people were added between June…Read full article →
Housing supply, demand & demographics · Updated 24 Jul 2026Migration and housing demand across Australia's capital citiesNet overseas migration added 302,184 people to Australia's population in 2024–25, accounting for 72.5% of the country's total population growth that year. The eight capital cities received 258,100 peo…Read full article →
Housing supply, demand & demographics · Updated 24 Jul 2026How many Australians live in share housing, and how is the pattern changing?At the 2021 Census, 848,162 people were recorded as group-household members, and 361,822 group households were counted, equal to 3.9% of classified households, down from 4.3% in 2016. Group-household…Read full article →
Housing supply, demand & demographics · Updated 24 Jul 2026Australia's average household size: what smaller households mean for housing demandAustralia's average household size was 2.5 people in the 2021 Census, down from 2.6 in 2016 after remaining at 2.6 across the previous four Censuses. The RBA's survey-based measure recorded a historic…Read full article →
Energy & sustainable building · Updated 15 Jul 2026Retrofitting older Australian homes for energy efficiencyAbout 70% of Australia's 11 million existing homes were built before minimum energy efficiency standards were introduced and have an average rating below 3 stars. By comparison, new homes in adopting…Read full article →
Energy & sustainable building · Updated 15 Jul 2026How much extra does a 7-star home cost in Australia?Published estimates range from $710 for a Queensland Class 1 dwelling in Australian Building Codes Board modelling, expressed in 2021 dollars, to $3,310 for a single-storey, four-bedroom Victorian hou…Read full article →
Energy & sustainable building · Updated 15 Jul 2026What does a NatHERS energy rating measure?The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) measures the thermal performance of a home's design, not its total energy use.Read full article →
Energy & sustainable building · Updated 13 Jul 2026Why Australia's 7-star energy standard has divided the building industryAustralia's National Construction Code lifted the minimum energy rating for new houses from six stars to seven under NCC 2022, the first increase in more than a decade. States and territories then rol…Read full article →
Energy & sustainable building · Updated 13 Jul 2026All-electric homes vs gas connections in AustraliaVictoria and the ACT are the only Australian jurisdictions that restrict new gas connections in most new homes. In New South Wales, South Australia, some Queensland gas distribution networks and the A…Read full article →
Energy & sustainable building · Updated 13 Jul 2026New home energy efficiency rules in Australia in 2026Most new houses and townhouses approved in jurisdictions that have adopted NCC 2022 must now meet a 7-star NatHERS-equivalent thermal standard, up from the 6-star minimum that applied for more than a…Read full article →
Energy & sustainable building · Updated 13 Jul 2026Solar and battery uptake in new Australian homes: 2026 dataMore than 4.4 million rooftop solar systems have been installed across Australia. Battery installations recorded under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme have passed 400,000 since batteries becam…Read full article →
Emerging building types & construction methods · Updated 24 Jun 2026Build-to-rent statistics in Australia 2026Australia's build-to-rent sector is expanding quickly, with market-source estimates counting 12,000 operational apartments as at October 2025 and 4,660 units delivered in 2024 alone. The national pipe…Read full article →
Government schemes & housing policy · Updated 24 Jun 2026Community housing in Australia: growth and new supplyCommunity housing providers managed 118,817 tenancy rental units at 30 June 2024, up from 30,392 in 2005. Over the same period, community housing's share of Australia's social housing system rose from…Read full article →
Emerging building types & construction methods · Updated 24 Jun 2026Australian dwelling mix statistics: how houses, apartments and emerging home types have changedDetached houses made up 73.3% of all new dwelling approvals in 1990. By 2025, that share had fallen to 57.8%, while apartments and townhouses accounted for a larger share of the national total. Total…Read full article →
Government schemes & housing policy · Updated 24 Jun 2026Public housing statistics in Australia: stock, waitlists and long-term trendsThe national public housing waitlist reached 189,536 households at 30 June 2025, up 12.5% in a single year and the highest level in the comparable series since 2014. At the same time, Australia’s publ…Read full article →
Emerging building types & construction methods · Updated 24 Jun 2026How many social and affordable homes are built in Australia each year?Australia had 450,607 social housing dwellings at 30 June 2025, spanning all four programme types: public housing, community housing, state-owned and managed Indigenous housing (SOMIH) and Indigenous…Read full article →
Government schemes & housing policy · Updated 24 Jun 2026Social housing waitlist statistics in Australia: how many households are waiting?Australia's public housing waitlist reached 189,536 households at 30 June 2025, the highest level in the comparable series since 2014 and up 20,984 households, or 12.4%, from June 2024. Of those, 77,4…Read full article →
Emerging building types & construction methods · Updated 23 Jun 2026Duplex and semi-detached housing statistics Australia 2025: approvals, building values and state trendsAustralia approved 34,488 semi-detached dwellings, townhouses and duplexes in 2025, the highest annual total since 2017 and up 20.8% from the year before. These dwellings made up 17.6% of all new resi…Read full article →
Emerging building types & construction methods · Updated 23 Jun 2026Australian modular housing statistics 2026: build times, costs and government programmesSix Australian state governments have announced, funded or delivered modular, prefabricated or other off-site construction housing programmes to deliver social, regional and key-worker housing faster.…Read full article →
Emerging building types & construction methods · Updated 23 Jun 2026Prefab home statistics in Australia in 2026: market size, costs and adoptionPrefab and modular construction has received increased policy attention in Australia, with governments funding programmes intended to support faster housing delivery. The prefabricated construction se…Read full article →