Australia's development landscape is in constant flux, shaped by ambitious policy commitments from the government and a looming federal election. While many existing initiatives aim to address critical issues like housing affordability and sustainability, they also present emerging challenges and opportunities that developers must navigate strategically.

Australia's property market is navigating headwinds and opportunities shaped by both global and domestic forces. The recent equity market correction, which began before the announcement of new U.S. tariffs, was sparked by major tech-stock selloffs. These developments underscore rising uncertainty, which is quickly reverberating through financial markets, consumer sentiment and housing fundamentals.

We’ve explored the five critical factors driving the outlook for Australia's property market.

Understanding housing sub-markets and lifestyle or behavioural shifts are important when planning and designing your next project. We’re shining a light on Digital Nomads, and exploring the implications of this growing segment on the housing market.

A thriving economy doesn’t happen by chance - it starts with a well-informed strategic policy framework. We explore the strategic planning implications that local economic development plans should consider in order to maximise economic growth.

The 2025 Australian federal budget places an emphasis on addressing the nation’s housing supply challenges, introducing a range of measures designed to increase affordability and availability. However, reactions to these initiatives have been mixed, with some supporting the measures overall while others argue that they fall short in addressing the structural reforms needed to solve the housing crisis. We’ve reviewed the key initiatives and their implications, you can read our assessment here.

Australia is on the brink of a significant demographic shift known as the "Silver Tsunami." Increased life expectancy, declining birth rates, and Baby Boomer’s entering retirement en masse will have widespread effects on healthcare, the workforce, housing, and government policies.

This shift in population profile is reshaping the country’s housing market and urban planning priorities, requiring a rethink of how cities and towns accommodate and support our senior residents.

Strategic urban and regional planning is at a turning point.  The rapid technological advancements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) are fundamentally reshaping how cities and regions evolve, presenting both opportunities and challenges for policymakers, planners and the real estate sector. 

Australia’s regional markets are continuing to attract the attention of buyers and new residents, outpacing capital city counterparts. While there are cyclical factors that can affect price growth, such as the level of interest rates and markets correcting after a period of sustained growth, there continues to be a range of underlying and long-term structural factors driving growth/decline.

A new research paper released by the Australian Productivity Commission has found that productivity in Australia’s housing construction sector has declined, in contrast to strong productivity growth in the broader economy. With housing supply in the spotlight and construction rates falling behind the National Housing Accord targets, this is not welcome news.

In a ground-breaking move for Australia's housing sector, the first vertical land lease community has been approved on the Gold Coast, redefining retirement living options. This new vertical model enables multi-storey living closer to city centres, offering retirees the convenience of urban amenities without sacrificing the benefits of a land lease arrangement.

Sydney of all cities in Australia has the potential to make a legitimate claim as tracking towards Australia’s premier global city. This has not come from its planning system, which continues to be amongst the most challenged in Australia. It will continue materialise on the back of the most aggressive infrastructure led city shaping programme seen in any Australian city over the last 40 years.

Solve Property Group’s Chief Planner Gary White has shared his perspective in the following article.

The UK’s housing crisis is a well-documented issue, with increasing demand outstripping supply in both urban and rural areas. The pressure to provide affordable housing, coupled with a desire for sustainable and community-focused living spaces, has fuelled calls for a dedicated task force to steer urban growth: the New Towns Taskforce.

The State Planning Commission recently released their Draft Greater Adelaide Regional Plan 2051, which sets out a long-term vision for Greater Adelaide, detailing where people will live and work, how they will move around and where they will access services, and importantly presents recommendations for managing growth and adapting to changes in the community and urban environment. The Plan reflects a practical approach to managing growth while addressing housing, employment lands, and infrastructure challenges.

As Australia continues to face an escalating housing crisis, the debate frequently focuses on planning related barriers to much needed supply. Internally we have been discussing various urban growth models and are interested in the market impacts related to containment and densification.

Read our discussion paper here.

New population data released by the ABS shows a welcome downturn in population growth due to falls in both net overseas migration, and natural increase across most states. Interestingly, the massive growth in some states is a notable contrast to what is happening in the property market.

Read the full article for a look at the trends.

Earlier this week, the NSW Productivity and Equality Commission (PEC) released their 'Review of Housing Supply Challenges and Policy Options for New South Wales' report, addressing the critical housing supply shortage in New South Wales (NSW). It proposes a comprehensive plan to overcome barriers that hinder housing development and offers recommendations for boosting productivity and equality in the housing market. The report highlights current challenges, such as the construction sector's capacity issues, high costs, and economic feasibility concerns, and provides policy suggestions aimed at increasing housing supply quickly and sustainably.

The housing crisis continues to dominate our newsfeeds, and with new data highlighting that Australia is falling short of meeting the Housing Accord targets, it’s clear that action is required to speed up housing delivery. There is no one size fits all solution to such a complex challenge, diverse solutions are required to meet the changing needs of communities.

Whilst our focus has primarily been on greenfield developments, clients are exploring new high density options (i.e transport rich locations). So why aren’t we seeing more innovative concepts pushing the boundaries on efficient land use?

Solve Property Group’s Chief Planner, Gary White, was recently interviewed about the housing crisis and his perspective on Housing Now!’ call for the NSW Government to appoint a dedicated co-ordinator general to boost housing supply in the state.

It won’t surprise many of you that a new study has found Australia is set to fall short of the housing targets designed to address the nation’s affordability crisis. While there are a number of factors contributing to the undersupply of housing, recent findings released by the UDIA indicate that Australia is on track for it’s lowest approvals since 2012.

Housing Now! has just released a damning report showing that 55% of Greater Sydney LGA's would need to increase their housing contributions by more than 50% to even have a chance of hitting their housing targets.

Speaking on the matter, Former NSW State Government Chief Planner and our very own Gary White was quoted in the Daily Telegraph today referencing the practice of councils deliberately rejecting DAs knowing that courts will later overrule decisions, as a contributing factor to housing delivery challenges.

Our economic advisory work extends beyond analysis, to support you with evidence-based insights to identify opportunities and inform strategic decisions. With experience across both private sector and government, our team bring expertise in trend forecasting, understanding economic indicators and their implications, property research, modelling, and evaluating policy implications. We are here to help you navigate the complexities of the current economic landscape.