THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN REGIONAL AUSTRALIA
* All regions grew in 2021-22, with long-term trends showing regional population growth is concentrated to coastal cities
* It takes 9.7 years to save up for a home deposit in regional Australia, compared to 10 years in the capital cities
* Job advertisements more than doubled over the four years to October 2023
* While there are more opportunities to work in the regions, many employers are finding it hard to recruit workers
* There were 43 disasters declared across Australia in 2023, affecting 137 council areas
* The clean energy workforce will need to increase by around 30 per cent, or around 213,000 workers by 2033
* Employment growth is likely to be stronger in regional Australia than in the cities
* The value of agriculture, fisheries and forestry production has reached historic highs in the past three years
* The gap in metro-regional digital inclusion is narrowing
* Access to early education and care is lower in regional communities, with fewer than one daycare place per three children in remote Australia
* Access to high-quality health, aged care, disability and community services worsens with remoteness
Source: State of Australia's Regions 2024 report
