At our Population Growth & Housing Conversation held on 12 April in partnership with the Adelaide Economic Development Board (AEDA) and John Holland, we discussed Adelaide’s projected population growth, housing requirements.
This conversation is in line with our Thriving Community key pillar which is focussed on creating a welcoming, inclusive, and diverse community, that prioritises wellbeing and attracts and retains the talent and skills required for current and future workforce needs.
We heard from keynote speaker, Simon Kuestenmacher, Director and Co-Founder of The Demographics Group who provided key statistics regarding the market segments that will drive South Australia’s future population growth, including future housing supply to meet future demand, as well as lessons from other cities to consider in planning for future growth.
A panel conversation followed which was moderated by Trevor Cooke, Deputy Chair of the Committee for Adelaide, and CEO of Commercial & General, and included Craig Holden, Chair of the State Planning Commission, David Lehmann, Chief Operating Officer, John Holland Group, and Nikki Govan, Chair of AEDA.
Some key takeaways from the conversation included:
- South Australia has seen record high population growth in recent years, largely driven by overseas migration and a small uplift in interstate migration.
- Greater Adelaide’s population will continue to grow by 11% in the coming decade to approximately 1.63 million by 2034 (Australian Centre of Population Growth).
- There will be significant demand for retirement living and aged care housing over the next 10 years to cater for our ageing population. Student housing, first homes, rental accommodation and family-sized living will also be in demand.
- There are opportunities to develop more housing stock, including through infill, strategic land purchases, adaptive reuse and build to rent projects. But it needs to be done with careful planning and efficiency.
- Skill shortages will continue, with significant demand for healthcare and construction workers.
- Retention of our skilled workforce will be key with AI, automation and smart systems presenting an opportunity to boost productivity.
