qld-living-housing-trends-2001

Queensland living: housing trends
2001

Queensland living: housing trends 2001
Planning Information and Forecasting Unit
Planning Services
ISBN: 0 7242 9678 6
November 2001

ii
Prepared by
Alison Taylor
with assistance from
Ross Barker
Kim Chohan
Elizabeth Gillam
Matt Longland
Suzanne Philp
Irene Simmond
Planning Information and Forecasting Unit
Planning Services
Queensland Department of Local Government and Planning
The assistance of the Queensland Department of Housing and the Residential Tenancies Authority in providing information
for this publication is gratefully acknowledged. We are also grateful to Brisbane City Council and the Queensland Department
of Housing for permission to use some of the photographs in this publication.
For technical enquiries or further information contact
Elizabeth Gillam (07) 3235 4580
Alison Taylor (07) 3235 4044
Copies of this document may be purchased from
Queensland Department of Local Government and Planning
Level 25, Mineral House
41 George Street, Brisbane QLD 4001
Phone enquiries (07) 3235 4566
Fax enquiries (07) 3237 4071
Email address pifu@dlgp.qld.gov.au
Website address http://www.dlgp.qld.gov.au/pifu
Price
$65 plus $6.50 postage, total cost $71.50
Disclaimer
While every care has been taken in preparing this report, the State of Queensland accepts no responsibility for decisions or
actions taken as a result of any data, information, statement or advice, express or implied, contained in this report.
© Crown Copyright 2001

iiiQueensland living: housing trends 2001 — Ministerial Foreword
Ministerial Foreword
Housingisoneofthekeyinfrastructureitemsinourcommunities.Assuch,analysisofrecenttrendsin
housing characteristics and conditions, new housing construction and usage is vital information for
everyoneinvolvedintheprovisionandmanagementofthisbasicbuildingblockofoursociety.
The demand for housing is set to increase in the future. Given that recent population projections for
Queensland indicate an increase of 1.3 million people over the next 20 years, there will clearly be
continuingdemandforhousing.ThisdemandwillbeparticularlystronginhighgrowthareaslikeSouth
EastQueenslandwheremorethanonemillionnewpeoplewillrequirehomesinthenexttwodecades.
HousingmakesavaluablecontributiontoQueensland’seconomy.AsAustralia’sfastestgrowingState,
housing in Queensland experiences considerable pressures in accommodating the demands of tens of
thousands of newcomers each year. However, this ongoing, high level of demand also results in the
rangeofhousing-relatedindustriesmakingalargecontributiontoQueensland’seconomyandemploys
asignificantnumberofworkers.
It is in every Queenslander’s best interests to ensure that this demand for housing is appropriately met
and that the principles of sustainability are incorporated into planning for housing. We also have a
responsibility to manage our finite and valuable land stocks to efficiently accommodate the growing
population. This needs to be done without adversely impacting on existing uses and the environment
while, at the same time, supporting the efficient provision of other urban infrastructure, facilities and
services.OureffortstomeetthischallengewillbeassistedbyabetterunderstandingofhowQueensland
citizens exercise housing choice. Queensland living: housing trends 2001 contains these statistics
and shows how housing demands in past years have been met.
IrecommendthisreporttoalllevelsofgovernmentandallQueenslanderswhoareinterestedinhousing
and its role in our communities. For those involved in the planning, provision and management of
housing,thisreportwillprovideavaluableinsightintohousingbehaviourandanticipatedhousingdemand
in Queensland in the 21st
century.
HonNitaCunninghamMP
MinisterforLocalGovernmentandPlanning
November 2001

iv
Contents
Ministerial Foreword ____________________________________________________________ iii
Chapter One: Introduction and Overview __________________________________________ 1
1.1 Why is housing demography important? __________________________________________________ 2
1.2 What is contained in this publication? ____________________________________________________ 2
1.3 Where does this information come from and what areas are covered?____________________________ 3
1.4 When will the data be updated? _________________________________________________________ 3
1.5 What are the key findings?_____________________________________________________________ 4
More people purchasing and renting… ________________________________________ 5
Renting more common in Queensland… _______________________________________ 5
Most people buying a home are changeover buyers… ____________________________ 5
Many Indigenous dwellings need major repair… ________________________________ 5
Lower levels of home ownership among Indigenous people… ______________________ 6
Low income and employment status affect housing quality for Indigenous people… ____ 6
Large increase in numbers living alone… ______________________________________ 6
Older people account for a large share of people living alone… _____________________ 6
Need for a range of housing options for older people… ___________________________ 6
Affordability concerns… ___________________________________________________ 7
Post-GST downturn in dwelling approvals reversed… ____________________________ 7
Dwelling construction hot spots are inner cities and fringes… ______________________ 7
Chapter Two: Housing choice and behaviour _______________________________________ 8
2.1 Introduction ________________________________________________________________________ 9
2.2 Tenure_____________________________________________________________________________ 9
2.2.1 Most Australians own their home _______________________________________________ 9
Change over recent years…_________________________________________________ 9
Brisbane compared to other cities… _________________________________________ 11
Renting on the rise… _____________________________________________________ 11
2.2.2 Home ownership increases with age ____________________________________________ 11
Renters are more likely to be young people… __________________________________ 11
Purchasers are likely to be families… _________________________________________ 12
Older people and home ownership… _________________________________________ 12
2.2.3 Families purchase, singles rent or own ___________________________________________ 12
Homes being purchased or owned… _________________________________________ 12
Homes being rented… ____________________________________________________ 13
2.2.4 Most people buying their home are employed _____________________________________ 14
2.2.5 Low income earners less likely to have mortgages __________________________________ 14
2.2.6 Housing costs higher for those with mortgages ___________________________________ 15
2.3 Dwelling characteristics and conditions __________________________________________________ 16
2.3.1 Most dwellings are houses with three or more bedrooms… __________________________ 16
Change over recent years…________________________________________________ 16
Other dwellings have only one or two bedrooms…______________________________ 17
2.3.2 Queensland’s dwelling stock relatively new _______________________________________ 17
2.3.3 Dwellings increase in size but house fewer people__________________________________ 17
2.3.4 Queensland dwellings in good repair ____________________________________________ 18
Painting the most common maintenance… ____________________________________ 18
Extensions or swimming pools the most common addition… ______________________ 18
2.4 Queensland housing costs slightly above the national average _______________________________ 19
Renters spend the largest share of income on housing… _________________________ 19
Housing costs in Brisbane are average for capital cities… ________________________ 19
2.5 Recent home buyers _________________________________________________________________ 20
Recent home buyers likely to be high income earners… __________________________ 20
Page

v
Page
2.6 Most people move to a home nearby ____________________________________________________ 21
Renters most likely to move… ______________________________________________ 21
2.7 Housing profiles of different life-cycle groups in Queensland _________________________________ 22
Young single households (under 35 years) ____________________________________ 22
Young couple only households (under 35 years) _______________________________ 23
Families _______________________________________________________________ 24
One-parent families ______________________________________________________ 25
Older couples and older lone people _________________________________________ 26
Chapter Three: Choosing a home in Queensland___________________________________27
3.1 Introduction _______________________________________________________________________ 28
3.2 What is the likelihood of moving? ______________________________________________________ 28
Mobility declines with age… _______________________________________________ 28
Some households move more often… ________________________________________ 28
Flat and unit dwellers are more likely to move… ________________________________ 31
Renters are the most mobile… ______________________________________________ 31
Unemployed people most likely to move… ____________________________________ 31
3.3 Housing behaviour among movers______________________________________________________ 32
Most movers were renters… _______________________________________________ 32
People move to buy a home… ______________________________________________ 32
Some owners move to mortgages…__________________________________________ 33
Some purchasers moved to rental… _________________________________________ 33
Some renters moved to buying… ___________________________________________ 33
Most people moved only a short distance… ___________________________________ 33
Housing reasons were the explanation for most moves… _________________________ 34
Regional Queenslanders twice as likely to move for jobs… _______________________ 34
Lifecycle reasons also important… __________________________________________ 35
Friends, family and lifestyle influenced moves… _______________________________ 35
Improved accessibility, then housing, the most important reasons for interstate
and overseas movers… _________________________________________________ 35
Accessibility and housing costs influence choice of location… ____________________ 35
Dwelling choice related to space needs and maintenance… _______________________ 36
Interstate and overseas movers also chose their dwelling based
on housing characteristics…_____________________________________________ 36
3.4 Housing behaviour among people who didn’t move ________________________________________ 37
3.5 Housing behaviour among likely movers _________________________________________________ 37
Young people are most likely to thinkof moving… ______________________________ 38
People expect to move to buy their home…____________________________________ 38
Many expect moves to occur in the short-term… _______________________________ 38
Many potential movers want to stay in Queensland… ___________________________ 39
Housing remains a strong reason for people to plan a move… _____________________ 39
Chapter Four: Indigenous housing and infrastructure_______________________________40
4.1 Introduction _______________________________________________________________________ 41
4.2 Results from the Community Housing and Infrastructure Needs (CHIN) Survey 1999 ______________ 41
4.2.1 Housing organisations _______________________________________________________ 41
Repairs and maintenance cost millions… _____________________________________ 41
Funding for housing organisations is from rent or grants… _______________________ 43
4.2.2 Discrete Indigenous communities ______________________________________________ 43
Queensland has the second largest population… _______________________________ 43
Indigenous communties are generally small…__________________________________ 43
One third of dwellings need major repair or replacement… ________________________ 43
4.3 Changes to housing and basic infrastructure access ________________________________________ 44
Indigenous housing stock increases but basic infrastructure and services lag…_______ 44

vi
Page
Number of dwellings managed by Indigenous organisations has increased… _________ 44
Equipment failure continues to limit regular access to water… _____________________ 44
Sewerage systems continue to operate unsatisfactorily since 1992…________________ 45
Equipment breakdown interrupts electricity supply…____________________________ 45
More communities have access to garbage collection services…___________________ 45
Telephone access and postal delivery services… _______________________________ 45
Remote communities continue to have poor access to education facilities… __________ 46
Many small communities have no first aid nearby… _____________________________ 46
Access to health workers improves… ________________________________________ 46
4.4 Indigenous demographic characteristics relevant to housing _________________________________ 46
Income and employment status impacts on housing quality… _____________________ 47
Indigenous households most likely to be families while few live alone… _____________ 47
Indigenous people most likely to rent their home… _____________________________ 48
Community owned dwellings have cheaper rent… ______________________________ 48
Around one in five Indigenous households considered overcrowded… _____________ 48
Housing stress and incarceration affect many Indigenous Queenslanders… __________ 49
Housing cost leads Indigenous households into poverty… _______________________ 49
4.5 Issues in Indigenous housing _________________________________________________________ 49
4.6 Future data collections _______________________________________________________________ 50
Chapter Five: Recent trends in housing in Queensland _____________________________52
5.1 Some recent trends in housing in Queensland _____________________________________________ 54
5.2 Living alone _______________________________________________________________________ 55
Changes in society lead to a large increase in numbers living alone… _______________ 55
Numbers of people living alone grew faster than the population…__________________ 56
One in every five housholds was a lone person household… _____________________ 56
One-third of Queenslanders living alone were older people… _____________________ 57
Strong growth among younger lone person households…________________________ 57
Nearly twice as many younger men (25 to 44 years) live alone but more than
twice as many older women live alone… ____________________________________ 58
Projected number of people living alone in future… _____________________________ 59
5.3 Older people’s accommodation_________________________________________________________ 60
Housing choices based on many factors… ____________________________________ 60
Own, purchase or rent a home - housing choices for older people… ________________ 61
Affordability a key concern… ______________________________________________ 61
Older people renting…____________________________________________________ 61
Community housing an option for some older people… __________________________ 61
Cluster housing… _______________________________________________________ 61
Boarding houses and hostels for low-income older people… ______________________ 61
Retirement villages one of many housing options… _____________________________ 61
Expanding options in retirement villages… ____________________________________ 62
Few separate houses in aged self-care accommodation…_________________________ 62
Cared accommodation for the more frail… _____________________________________ 63
Additional support required as needs increase… _______________________________ 63
Caring for older people in the community is funded by the Commonwealth and State
governments but delivered by community organisations and local government… ___ 64
Residential care can be high level or low level… ________________________________ 64
Residential and community care in Queensland…_______________________________ 65
Most nursing homes in Brisbane… __________________________________________ 65
5.4 Housing affordability ________________________________________________________________ 65
Median price up but interest rates down… ____________________________________ 66
Changes in affordability over time… _________________________________________ 66
5.5 Housing expenditure ________________________________________________________________ 68
5.6 Changes to public housing stock _______________________________________________________ 68
Public housing stock grows slightly… _______________________________________ 68

viiQueensland living: housing trends 2001
Page
Public housing stocks in Brisbane not increasing as in non-metropolitan areas… ______ 68
Detached housing accounts for more than half of public housing stock…____________ 69
Detached housing stocks decline while others increase… ________________________ 69
5.7 Changes to rental accommodation ______________________________________________________ 70
The number of rental properties increased… ___________________________________ 70
Fastest growth in renting dwellings other than houses… _________________________ 71
5.8 Policy changes _____________________________________________________________________ 72
Affordable housing an increasing concern… __________________________________ 72
Affordable housing in sustainable communities… ______________________________ 72
Encouraging local government to influence housing outcomes… __________________ 73
The role and responsibility of local government in housing… _____________________ 73
What can local government hope to achieve… _________________________________ 74
Chapter Six: Residential dwelling stock and approvals ______________________________75
6.1 Introduction _______________________________________________________________________ 76
6.2 Estimates of past and present dwelling stock______________________________________________ 76
6.3 Changes in dwelling stock ____________________________________________________________ 77
Medium and high-density stock increasing slowly… ____________________________ 77
Stronger growth in housing than population… _________________________________ 77
Fastest-growing areas are fringes of Brisbane and regional cities… _________________ 78
Some areas have doubled their stock… _______________________________________ 78
Eight out of every ten dwellings are separate houses… __________________________ 79
Thirty per cent of all new housing is medium and high-density… __________________ 80
6.4 Dwelling approvals __________________________________________________________________ 80
Downward trend following GST introduction now reversed… _____________________ 80
Victoria overtakes Queensland… ____________________________________________ 81
South East Queensland dominates… ________________________________________ 82
Top ten LGAs for separate houses… ________________________________________ 83
Top ten LGAs for other types of dwellings… __________________________________ 83
Hot spots in South East Queensland… _______________________________________ 84
Regional hot spots… _____________________________________________________ 85
Semi-detached on the Gold Coast… _________________________________________ 86
Low-rise with water views… _______________________________________________ 89
Inner City urban renewal… ________________________________________________ 92
6.5 Future dwelling requirements for Queensland _____________________________________________ 94
Around 25,000 new dwellings needed each year… ______________________________ 94
Short-term dwelling demand strongest in South East Queensland… ________________ 94
More homes needed for a growing population… _______________________________ 94
Demand in other regional centres…__________________________________________ 94
Appendices _____________________________________________________________________96
AppendixA Occupied private dwelling stock, Statistical Divisions, Statistical Subdivisions,
Statistical Districts, Local GovernmentAreas, Statistical LocalAreas and
regional planning project areas, Queensland, 1996 Census and 30 June 2001 _______________ 97
Appendix B Annual average dwelling approvals for Statistical Divisions, Statistical Subdivisions,
Statistical Districts, Local GovernmentAreas, Statistical LocalAreas and
regional planning project areas, Queensland, five years to June 1996 and June 2001,
and years to June 2000 and June 2001 ____________________________________________ 115
Appendix C Queensland Department of Local Government and Planning regional planning project areas _ 127
Major publications prepared by the Planning Information and Forecasting Unit _________129

1Queensland living: housing trends 2001 — Chapter 1
Contents
1.1 Why is housing demography important? _________________________________ 2
1.2 What is contained in this publication? ___________________________________ 2
1.3 Where does this information come from and what areas are covered? _________ 3
1.4 When will the data be updated? ________________________________________ 3
1.5 What are the key findings? ____________________________________________ 4
More people purchasing and renting…_________________________ 5
Renting more common in Queensland…________________________ 5
Most people buying a home are changeover buyers… ____________ 5
Many Indigenous dwellings need major repair… _________________ 5
Lower levels of home ownership among Indigenous people… ______ 6
Low income and employment status affect housing quality for
Indigenous people… _____________________________________ 6
Large increase in numbers living alone…_______________________ 6
Older people account for a large share of people living alone… _____ 6
Need for a range of housing options for older people… ___________ 6
Affordability concerns… ____________________________________ 7
Post-GST downturn in dwelling approvals reversed… _____________ 7
Dwelling construction hot spots are inner cities and fringes… ______ 7
Chapter One: Introduction and overview

2 Queensland living: housing trends 2001 — Chapter 1
1.1 Why is housing demography important?
This publication reports on recent housing trends in Queensland from a demographic perspective. So
whatistheconnectionbetweenhousinganddemography?
Demographicfactorshavebeenshowntoinfluencehousingchoicesandbehaviour.Thisrelationshipis
ofconsiderableinterestandpotentialvaluetopolicymakersandhousinganalysts.Asrelativelydetailed
populationprojectionscanbeproduced,thescaleandlocationoffuturehousingdemandcantherefore
beestimated(assumingtherelationshipbetweendemographicfactorsandhousingremainsconstant).
Inaddition,demographicfactorshavealsobeenfoundtoinfluenceresidentialmobility,gentrification
and neighbourhood change – all topical issues for Queensland in the 21st century.
Indeed housing and demography are inextricably linked. The housing industry, whether at the land
development, dwelling construction or redevelopment stage requires people to buy, rent and occupy
homes.Inturn,demography,particularlypopulationprojections,reliesontheavailabilityofhousingor
potentialtoconstructnewhousingonappropriatelandasakeyinputintothemodellingprocess.From
both perspectives, a better appreciation of housing trends will improve our understanding of current
housingpatternsandenhanceourabilitytomanagehousingdemand,particularlyingrowingareas.This
is especially important for Queensland given the finite residential land stocks and increasing demand
pressures in preferred areas of South East Queensland and other coastal centres.
Researchintorecenttrendsisalsotopicalgiventheongoinginterestinissuessuchashousingaffordability,
themovebacktoinnercitiesandhighlevelsofhousingmobilityinQueensland.Inaddition,themovement
of the large baby boom cohorts through middle age and into retirement pose a considerable challenge
intermsoftheirpotentialhousingbehaviour.Willcashedupbabyboomersincreasinglyretireatage55
andmovefromtheirfamilyhome?Willtheyseeksmaller,lowmaintenancehomes,innercityapartments
orunits?Aretheboomersgoingtofurtherstimulatepopulationgrowthandhousingmarketsincoastal
retirementcommunities?
Theseissuesshouldbeofinteresttobothproducersandconsumersofhousingaswellasthoseseeking
to understand current patterns and anticipate future demand.
1.2 What is contained in this publication?
Queensland living: housing trends 2001 contains a collection of recent housing related data for
Queensland.Theinformationcoverspatternsandtrendslikelytoaffecthousingproducersandconsumers,
bothnowandinthefuture.Thisinformationprovidesapictureofhouseholdcharacteristicsandcosts,
including how various life-cycle groups operate in the housing sector. It describes the reasons people
chose a particular location and dwelling after moving and the likelihood of people moving based on
theirhomeownership.ItalsocontainsarecentpictureofhousingcharacteristicsinIndigenouscommunities
comparedwithresultsfromanearliersurvey.
The first Chapters of Queensland living: housing trends 2001 describe the housing stock, identify
reasons why people choose particular houses and locations and give a picture of Indigenous housing
conditions.
Significant demographic trends are impacting on the operation of the housing market in Queensland.
The population is ageing, with many older people living alone and with all older people forming a
growing and diversifying segment of the housing market demanding a range of housing options. In
addition,separationanddivorcearecommon,causinghighlevelsofhouseholdbreak-upsfollowedby
re-establishment of one or more households and high levels of remarriage. Given these changes, a

ChapterintheReportoutlinesrecenttrendsaffectinghousinginQueensland;describingtheincreasing
tendencyforpeopletolivealone,thespreadofmediumdensitylivinginQueenslandandthedevelopment
oftheagedpersonshousing.ItalsodescribeshowmuchhousingcostsQueenslandersandhowhousing
affordability has changed over time.Also included are data on the levels of public housing stock,
characteristics of rental properties and new policy developments in the housing sector.
Queensland’s response to the demand for new dwellings over the past five years is then analysed.The
stock of dwellings at 30 June 2001 is compared with stock five years earlier and an assessment made
of the changing composition and distribution of the stock. Development hot spots that have recorded
largenumbersofnewhousesorotherresidentialconstructionareidentified,togetherwiththelocations
oftownhouse,low-riseandhigh-riseunitprojectsasrevealedindwellingapprovalsdata.Estimatesof
the magnitude and location of future demand for dwellings, based on recently-published population
projectionsproducedbythePlanningInformationandForecastingUnit(QDLGP,2001),completethe
Chapter.
AppendixAcontainsdataonoccupiedprivatedwellingstockfromthe1996Censusandestimatesfor
30 June 2001 for all Statistical LocalAreas (SLAs) in Queensland (based on June 2001 boundaries).
Appendix B gives data on the numbers of dwellings approved in SLAs over the past decade with
detailed information on the past two years to June 2000 and June 2001.
1.3 Where does this information come from and what areas are covered?
This publication brings together a range of recent data relating to housing in Queensland. Data have
been obtained from a number of surveys recently conducted by theAustralian Bureau of Statistics
(ABS). These are theAustralian Housing Survey (AHS), a supplement to the Monthly Population
Survey looking at mobility and housing preferences and the Community Housing and Infrastructure
Needs Survey (CHINS).
As these data are derived from survey collections, results are only available for larger areas. For
example,outputfromtheAHSandMonthlyPopulationSurveyisonlyavailableforBrisbaneStatistical
Division (SD) and the balance of Queensland, while the CHINS results are for discrete Indigenous
communitiesandhousingorganisations.Informationrelatedtoresidentialdwellingapprovalsislargely
unpublisheddatafromABS.
Analysis of residential dwelling approvals is at the Local GovernmentArea (LGA) level but includes
specificareasanddevelopmentsinsmallerareasasappropriate.Thesedataaregenerallyavailablefor
muchfinergeographicunitsandinterestedusersshouldcontactthePlanningInformationandForecasting
Unit(PIFU)regardingtheavailabilityofmoredetailedinformationforspecificareas.
1.4 When will the data be updated?
Detaileddatarelatedtohousingcharacteristicsandtheiroccupantswillbeavailablewiththereleaseof
the2001Censusresultsdueinlate2002.Researchintotheseresults,trendsapparentfromacomparison
with earlier data and new population projections will be included in various reports prepared by the
PlanningInformationandForecastingUnitandavailablefrom2003.
Moreinformationonhowmanynewdwellingsarebeingbuiltandtheirlocationwillalsobeincludedin
Housing Update (released quarterly) and Recent population and housing trends in Queensland
publishedannuallybythePlanningInformationandForecastingUnit.

1.5 What are the key findings?
Thelatesttrendsinhousingchoiceandbehaviourincludechangingtenurepatterns,recenthomebuyers
favouring established homes over new homes, and extensions and swimming pools being the most
common addition to Queensland households. Housing was found to be a major contributor to people
moving,whilelevelsofmobilityvarywithhousingcharacteristics.Similarly,housingcostsinfluenced
bothdestinationanddwellingchoice.
Patterns of housing usage among Indigenous people vary considerably with lower income and
employment status adversely affecting housing quality and levels of home ownership.Two-thirds of
Indigenoushouseholdsrenttheirhomewithnearlyoneineveryfiveconsideredovercrowdedandone
ineveryfiveestimatedtobeinafter-housingpoverty.Thecontributionofhousingtosupportinghealthy
living practices has been recognised as a fundamental principle and, along with access to basic
infrastructure,formsakeyareaofneedintheIndigenouscommunity.
Some key trends in housing in Queensland include the sizeable increase in numbers of people, both
youngerpeopleandolderpeople,livingalone.Thegrowingpopulationofolderpeopleisalsoimpact-
ing on the housing market resulting in a range of accommodation options to meet their needs. This
sectorofthehousingmarketwillalsoexperiencesignificantgrowthinfutureyearswithananticipated
increase in demand for appropriate and affordable alternatives. Increasing levels of expenditure on
housingimpactonaffordabilityand,forsome,thecostofhousingforcesthembelowthepovertyline.
Communities planning for sustainable futures need to address these issues and develop a policy posi-
tion on housing to ensure this basic need is met.
Changes to housing stock levels and composition reflect responses to population change and other
demographic trends as well as changing preferences and needs. Thus, over the past five years
Queensland’sdwellingstockhasincreasedfasterthanitspopulation,witharound143,000newprivate
dwellingsapprovedforconstructioninQueensland,mostlyseparatehouses.However,theproportion
of other dwellings in the stock is slowly increasing with this sector increasing twice as fast as separate
housesoverthepastfiveyearsandaccountingformorethanthreeoutofeverytennewdwellingssince
1996. In the next 20 years, it is estimated that around 500,000 new dwellings will be required to
accommodate the projected population increase.
Some of these key findings are outlined below.

More people purchasing and renting…
Over the five years to 1999 there was an increase
of around 20,000 new Queensland households
purchasing their home each year. This strong
growthinnewmortgagesinQueensland(5.5per
cent per annum) outstripped the national growth
rate for homes being purchased (3.6 per cent per
annum) between 1994 and 1999.
TherewasalsogrowthinQueenslandamongthe
numberofhouseholdsrentingprivately(anincrease
ofaround8,000newrentalhouseholdseachyear
between 1994 and 1999). This increase again
outstrippednationalratesofincrease(2.1percent
and1.6percentrespectively)butgrowthinrental
households was slower than the increase in the
number of all households (2.4 per cent).
Renting more common in Queensland…
Nearly three out of every ten Queensland
households were renting their home, the highest
proportion of renter households of any state but
lower than in the two territories.Young people
makeupalargeproportionofrentedhouseholdswithhomeownershipgraduallyincreasingwithage.
Three-quarters of Queenslanders renting had moved recently while over half of households renting
privately had moved at least three times in the past five years.
Most people buying a home are
changeover buyers…
Ofthosehomebuyersacquiringtheirhomeinthe
two years prior to the survey, most were
changeover buyers with only one in three being
firsthomebuyers.Existinghousingwaspreferred
with three-quarters of recent home buyers
acquiring an established home as opposed to a
newhome.
Morethanone-quarterofQueensland’sdwelling
stockislessthantenyearsoldwitharound10per
centofalldwellingslessthanfiveyearsold.
Many Indigenous dwellings need
majorrepair…
Whilethenumberofdwellingsownedormanaged
by Indigenous organisations in Queensland has
increased over the seven years to 1999, around
one-thirdofdwellingsrequiredmajorrepairsorreplacement.Inaddition,over1,500Indigenouspeople
livedintemporarydwellingsandindicatedthattheyrequiredpermanenthousing.
Most people buy an established home
Renting is popular particularly in inner city locations

Lower levels of home ownership among Indigenous people…
Indigenous people have much lower life expectancy than non-Indigenous people. This contributes to
the lower rate of Indigenous home ownership as the likelihood of owning a home increases with age.
More than two-thirds of Indigenous households rent their home compared to less than one-third of
non-Indigenoushouseholds.ManyIndigenoushouseholdsrentedfromacommunityorganisationora
government agency but four out of every ten rented privately.
Low income and employment status affect housing quality for Indigenous people…
Indigenous people tend to earn lower incomes and have higher rates of unemployment than non-
Indigenous households. This contributes to low levels of home ownership, overcrowding and
homelessness.Inaddition,nearlyone-quarterofQueensland’sprisonpopulationismadeupofIndigenous
peoplefurtheraffectingtheabilityofsomeIndigenousfamiliestoadequatelymeettheirhousingneeds.
Large increase in numbers living alone…
ThenumberofQueenslanderslivingalonerosebymorethanone-thirdtoreachnearly250,000people
in 1996. The increase is due to societal changes such as increasing levels of divorce and relationship
breakdown,theageingofthepopulationwithincreasingnumbersofpeoplelivingaloneafterthedeath
ofapartnerplushigherlevelsofacceptanceofyoungerpeoplelivingalone.Thenumberofloneperson
householdsincreasedfasterthanallhouseholdsorthepopulationoverthefiveyearsto1996toaccount
foroneineveryfiveQueenslandhouseholds.
Older people account for a large share of people living alone…
Older Queenslanders aged 65 years or more accounted for more than one-third (36.8 per cent) of all
lone person households in 1996.Afurther one-quarter (28.3 per cent) of people living alone were
older workers or pre-retirees aged between 45 and 64 years and another quarter were aged between
25 and 44 years.
ThenumberofyoungerQueenslanders(agedbetween25and44years)livingaloneincreasedby46.8
per cent over the five years to 1996. People aged between 45 and 64 years living alone grew by 40.1
per cent while growth among older people aged 65 years or more was slightly lower at 25.0 per cent
over the five years to 1996. By 2021 there are projected to be more than 500,000 Queenslanders
livingalone.
Need for a range of housing options for
older people…
Increasing accommodation options for older
people are required due to the large projected
growth in this sector of the population and the
diversityofneedsrangingfromlowlevelassistance
and care to high level intervention. While only
around 20 per cent of people aged 70 years and
over currently use government funded aged care
services, the number of people in this age cohort
in future years is projected to expand greatly
causinganassociatedgrowthindemand. Living in close proximity to others is important for older people

Affordability concerns…
Affordabilityissuesareimportantforolderpeoplebutalsoforothersectorsofthecommunity.Increasing
levelsofhousingstressmustbeaddressedtopromotesustainablecommunitiesandensureappropriate
levels of basic infrastructure are provided.With an increase of almost 20 per cent in levels of housing
expenditure over the past five years, access to low-cost and appropriate housing is an important issue.
Public housing stocks can provide some options but must also respond, with limited resources, to
changinglevelsofdemandandrequirements.Thegrowingrentalsectoralsoneedstobemonitoredto
trackchangingtrends.
Post-GST downturn in dwelling approvals reversed…
ResidentialdwellingconstructioninQueenslandhasreboundedfollowingtheintroductionoftheGST
and the First Home Owners Grant. Approvals in the June quarter 2001 showed a 45.6 per cent
increase over the previous quarter. Residential building activity remains concentrated in South East
Queenslandwheresevenoutofeverytendwellingsareapproved.TheinnerandfringeareasofBrisbane,
corridorsuburbsofGoldCoastCityaswellasthelargerregionalcitieshaveallrecordedlargeincreases
in their dwelling stock and high numbers of approvals over recent years.
Dwelling construction hot spots are inner
cities and fringes…
Hotspotsofactivityincludeurbanrenewalininner
cityareasorcentral,establishedsuburbs(suchas
New Farm and Fortitude Valley in Brisbane or
SouthportandSurfersParadiseinGoldCoastCity)
and broadhectare fringe developments (like
Doolandella-ForestLakeandTaigum-Fitzgibbon
inBrisbaneorRobinaandArundelinGoldCoast
City). Locations near to, and especially in sight
of,waterarepopularparticularlyforunitbuildings
lessthanfourstoreys.Bycontrast,high-riseunits
(over four storeys) tend to be approved in inner
city locations, particularly in Brisbane City and Gold Coast City, where land and buildings previously
used for other purposes are being converted to housing.
Housingisafundamentalbuildingblockofourcommunitiesandmeetsthebasichumanneedforshelter.
Continued research and investigation into how people use housing, the available options and areas of
needisrequired.ThiswillcontributetothegoalofensuringthatallQueenslandershaveaccesstosafe,
secure,appropriateandaffordablehousingindiverse,cohesiveandsustainablecommunities.
New dwelling construction remains strong in urban fringe
areas

Contents
2.1 Introduction ________________________________________________________ 9
2.2 Tenure ____________________________________________________________ 9
2.2.1 MostAustralians own their home ________________________________ 9
Change over recent years… _________________________________ 9
Brisbane compared to other cities… __________________________ 11
Renting on the rise… ______________________________________ 11
2.2.2 Home ownership increases with age _____________________________ 11
Renters are more likely to be young people… __________________ 11
Purchasers are likely to be families… ________________________ 12
Older people and home ownership…__________________________ 12
2.2.3 Families purchase, singles rent or own ___________________________ 12
Homes being purchased or owned… __________________________ 12
Homes being rented… _____________________________________ 13
2.2.4 Most people buying their home are employed _____________________ 14
2.2.5 Low income earners less likely to have mortgages _________________ 14
2.2.6 Housing costs higher for those with mortgages ____________________ 15
2.3 Dwelling characteristics and conditions _________________________________ 16
2.3.1 Most dwellings are houses with three or more bedrooms… __________ 16
Change over recent years… ________________________________ 16
Other dwellings have only one or two bedrooms… ______________ 17
2.3.2 Queensland’s dwelling stock relatively new _______________________ 17
2.3.3 Dwellings increase in size but house fewer people__________________ 17
2.3.4 Queensland dwellings in good repair_____________________________ 18
Painting the most common maintenance… _____________________ 18
Extensions or swimming pools the most common addition… _______ 18
2.4 Queensland housing costs slightly above the national average ______________ 19
Renters spend the largest share of income on housing… _________ 19
Housing costs in Brisbane are average for capital cities… ________ 19
2.5 Recent home buyers ________________________________________________ 20
Recent home buyers likely to be high income earners…__________ 20
2.6 Most people move to a home nearby ___________________________________ 21
Renters most likely to move… ______________________________ 21
2.7 Housing profiles of different life-cycle groups in Queensland _______________ 22
Young single households (under 35 years) _____________________ 22
Young couple only households (under 35 years) _________________ 23
Families _________________________________________________ 24
One-parent families _______________________________________ 25
Older couples and older lone people __________________________ 26
Chapter Two: Housing choice and behaviour

2.1 Introduction
TheAustralianBureauofStatistics(ABS)conductedtheAustralianHousingSurveybetweenSeptember
andDecember1999withonerespondentprovidingdetailsforeachhouseholdsurveyed.Resultsinclude
thecharacteristics,affordabilityandadequacyofdwellings,andthedemographics,tenureandhousing
costs of people and households.
InQueensland,thesamplewas2,427householdswith1,146householdssurveyedinBrisbaneStatistical
Division (SD) and 1,281 households in the balance of the State. The results for Queensland are
summarisedinFigure2.1.
2.2 Tenure
2.2.1 MostAustralians own their home
Seven out of every ten Australian households
owned their own home either outright (38.8 per
cent) or with a mortgage (31.3 per cent). This
numberofownerswastwoandahalftimeslarger
thanthenumberofpeoplewhowererentingtheir
home (27.2 per cent). There was little variation
across most states and territories; however,
Victoriahadthehighestproportionofownerseither
with or without a mortgage (74.8 per cent) (due
to that state’s older age structure) while the
Northern Territory had the lowest proportion of
households that were owned (45.7 per cent) (due
toitsyoungeragestructure).InQueensland,67.5
per cent of households owned their own home,
either with or without a mortgage (32.7 per cent and 34.8 per cent respectively) numbering more than
twice as many households as those renting (29.8 per cent).
Change over recent years…
AstheQueenslandpopulationincreased,therewasarelatedincreaseinthenumberofhouseholdsthat
hadhomeloans(ownedtheirhomewithamortgage).ThenumberofQueenslandhouseholdsincreased
byanaverageof2.4percentoverthefiveyearsto1999whilethenumberofhouseholdswithloansfor
purchasing their homes increased by 5.5 per cent each year. In Queensland in 1994, about 335,200
householdswerepurchasingtheirhomesbutby1999thisnumberhadrisento439,000households,an
increaseofmorethan100,000householdspurchasingoraround20,000newhouseholdswithmortgages
each year. By contrast, there was a small decline in the number of households in Queensland owning
their home (from 469,000 households in 1994 to 467,000 households in 1999).
GrowthamonghomemortgagesinQueenslandaveraged5.5percentperannumoverthefiveyearsto
1999, a considerably faster rate than the national growth rate of 3.6 per cent per annum.
ThesurveyresultsshowedtherehadalsobeenalargeincreaseinthenumberofQueenslandhouseholds
rentingtheirdwelling.Thisincrease,however,wasamonghouseholdsrentingprivately,whilethenumber
of households renting from the state housing authority actually declined from 49,000 households in
1994 to 46,100 households in 1999.
Nearly seven out of every ten Queenslanders own their home,
either with or without a mortgage

* Estimate has relative standard error of 25% to 50%
(a) Life tenure or rent-buy scheme, house sitting or payment in kind
(b) Parent/relative, caravan park manager, employer or other
Source: Compiled from Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2000, Australian Housing Survey unpublished data
Figure 2.1 Summary of Australian Hosuing Survey findings (Queensland 1999)
Recent first home
buyer household
55,200(29.1%)
Recent
changeover buyer
121,300(63.9%)
Combined recent
first home and
changeover buyer
13,200(7.0%)*
Owner without
a mortgage
467,000
(34.8%)
Owner with a
mortgage
439,000
(32.7%)
Renter
399,200
(29.8%)
Rent free
24,200
(1.8%)
Other tenure (a)
12,400
(0.9%)
Total number of
households
1,341,800
Public housing
46,100
(11.5%)
Private landlord
317,900
(79.6%)
Other landlord (b)
35,200
(8.8%)
Home buyers who
bought <1997
716,300(79.1%)
Recent home buyers
(bought 1997-99)
189,700(20.9%)
Bought
new home
7,800*
Bought est.
home
47,400
(85.9%)
Bought
new home
35,900
(29.6%)
Bought est.
home
85,400
(70.4%)
Bought
new home
2,700*
Bought est.
home
10,500*

The number of Queensland households renting privately increased from 270,000 in 1994 to nearly
318,000 households in 1999, an increase of around 8,000 new rental properties each year.The rate of
increase in rented households in Queensland was 2.1 per cent per annum over the five years, a faster
rate of growth than for rented households acrossAustralia (1.6 per cent) and slightly slower than the
rate of increase in the number of households (2.4 per cent).
Brisbane compared to other cities…
In contrast to most other capital cities (except Perth, Darwin and Canberra), a higher proportion of
people in Brisbane owned their home with a mortgage (35.0 per cent) than without (33.2 per cent).
However, in the balance of Queensland, similar to the national pattern, more households owned their
home without a mortgage (36.2 per cent) than with a mortgage (30.8 per cent).
Renting on the rise…
Australia-wide 27.2 per cent of households were renting, with 18.8 per cent of those renting from a
state or territory housing authority landlord. Queensland had the highest proportion of households
renting(29.8percent)ofanystatebutlowerthanthetwoterritories.InQueensland,only11.5percent
of these households were renting from the state housing authority. Most of these households were in
BrisbaneSD(23,700households),highlightingtherelativelysmallnumberofhousingauthorityproperties
inregionalQueensland(22,400households).
While there were more than three times as many households that were owners compared to renters of
separate houses this situation was reversed for flats and semi-detached dwellings. In Queensland in
1999, there were nearly twice as many households renting semi-detached dwellings as owned them
(45,100 households compared to 23,300 households respectively) and nearly three times as many
householdsrentingflats,unitsorapartmentsasownedthem(84,600comparedto29,900respectively).
2.2.2 Home ownership increases with age
The likelihood of owning a home increases with
age (Figure 2.2). Generally this comprises a
pattern of renting in early adulthood, moving to
homepurchaseandmortgagesasrelationshipsand
familiesareformed,followedbyowningahome
withoutamortgageinolderage.Thus,nationwide,
80 per cent of young people aged between 15
and 24 years rented their home while 80 per cent
of older people (65 years and over) owned their
homewithoutamortgage.
Renters are more likely to be young people…
Three out of every ten Queensland households
who were renting their home had a respondent
aged between 25 and 34 years. A further 15.6
per cent were aged between 15 and 24 years
meaning nearly half (47.6 per cent) of rented
households were occupied by young people
(respondent aged between 15 and 34 years).
Most older people own their home

Purchasers are likely to be families…
Nineoutofeverytenhouseholdsbuyingtheirhomewereinthefamilyagegroups(respondentbetween
25 and 54 years). More than one-third (36.9 per cent) of households that were buying their home were
in the young family age groups (respondent aged between 35 and 44 years).Afurther one-quarter of
householdspurchasingtheirhomewereintheolderfamilyagegroups(26.4percentwitharespondent
aged between 45 and 54 years) while another quarter (26.0 per cent) were aged between 25 and 34
years.
Older people and home ownership…
Four out of ten Queensland households (44.1 per cent) that owned their home without a mortgage
were aged 65 years or more. However, older people (respondent aged 65 years or more) occupied
2.4 per cent of households that were owned with a mortgage. These households could be expected to
beundersomefinancialpressuretomaintaintheirmortgagepayments.Inaddition,someolderpeople
lived rent-free or paid rent to a relative.
2.2.3 Families purchase, singles rent or own
While tenure follows a pattern related to age and life cycle, the pattern varies for different family and
household types. For example, one-parent households in Queensland were much more likely to be
renting (59.7 per cent) than to own their own home (36.3 per cent).
Homes being purchased or owned…
In Queensland, homes being purchased were most likely to be occupied by couples with dependent
children(43.0percent)(Figure2.3).Incomparison,coupleswithoutchildrenweremuchlesslikelyto
be buying their home, occupying only half as many homes being purchased (22.1 per cent). In some
cases these would be older couples but in others these would be younger couples not yet entering into
homeownership.
Figure 2.2 Tenure by age of reference person, Queensland, 1999
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2000, unpublished data
0 10 20 30 40 50
Without a mortgage
With a mortgage
Renters
Per cent of each tenure
15 – 24 25 – 34 35 – 44 45 – 54 55 – 64 65 and over
Older people
Families
Young people

Fordwellingsownedwithoutamortgage,coupleonlyhouseholdsoccupied38.5percentreflectingthe
increased likelihood of outright ownership with age. Lone person households also accounted for 29.7
percentofdwellingsownedoutrightinQueensland.
Homes being rented…
People living alone occupied one-quarter (26.0 per cent) of dwellings rented in Queensland. Couples
with children (including dependents and non-dependents) made up another quarter (25.6 per cent)
followedbycoupleonlyhouseholds(17.6percent).Lonepersonhouseholdsaccountedformorethan
one in every three dwellings being rented from the state housing authority (35.9 per cent) while one-
parent households occupied one in every four public housing dwellings (24.5 per cent). One-parent
households also accounted for a higher than expected share of dwellings being rented privately (11.9
per cent of all privately rented dwellings while accounting for 6.3 per cent of households).
Coupleswithchildrenoccupiedone-quarterofprivatelyrenteddwellings(26.1percent).Loneperson
households took the next largest share (22.7 per cent) followed by couple only households (19.2 per
cent).
For every five privately rented dwellings, one and a half dwellings were occupied by couples with
children, one dwelling was occupied by a lone person, one by a couple without children with the
remainder taken up by other household types such as group households.
Figure 2.3 Tenure by household type, Queensland, 1999
(a) Includes couples with dependent children, couples with dependent and non-dependent children
and couples with non-dependent children only
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Without a mortgage With a mortgage Renters
Percentofeachtenure
Couple only Couple with children (a)
One parent with dependent children Lone person

2.2.4 Most people buying their home are employed
Most people with mortgages needed to be working in order to be able to meet regular payments. Nine
out of ten households purchasing their home were employed (91.9 per cent) (Figure 2.4). Eight out of
tenhouseholds(79.1percent)withmortgagesderivedtheircashincomefromwagesorsalarieswhile
one out of ten (10.4 per cent) owned their own business.
Bycontrast,morethanhalf(56.3percent)ofhouseholdsthatownedtheirhomewerenotinthelabour
force. Many of these households would contain older people who were retired, with 43.7 per cent of
householdsthatownedtheirhomewithoutamortgagereceivingtheircashincomefromaGovernment
pensionorallowance.Incomparison,forhouseholdsrentingfromthestatehousingauthority,sevenout
of every ten (69.1 per cent) were not in the labour force and eight out of every ten (79.5 per cent)
receivedtheircashincomefromaGovernmentpensionorallowance.
2.2.5 Low income earners less likely to have mortgages
More than half (58.0 per cent) of households that owned their home were in the two lowest income
quintiles (each quintile represents 20.0 per cent of the income range) reflecting the large numbers of
older people on relatively low incomes in this category (Figure 2.5). By contrast, six out of every ten
households (61.3 per cent) purchasing their home were in the top two income quintiles.
Income distribution differed widely for households renting their dwelling with eight out of every ten
households(80.5percent)rentingfromthestatehousingauthorityinthetwolowestincomequintiles.
For households renting privately, four out of every ten (41.8 per cent) were in the two lowest income
quintiles while three out of ten households were in the top two income quintiles (31.6 per cent).
Figure 2.4 Tenure by labour force status, Queensland, 1999
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Without a mortgage With a mortgage Renters
Percentofeachtenure
Employed Unemployed Not in the labour force

2.2.6 Housing costs higher for those with mortgages
Seven out of every ten households (70.9 per cent) spent less than one-quarter of their income on
housing costs. Only 5.2 per cent of all households in Queensland had housing costs that were more
than half their income and these were most likely to be households with mortgages or those renting
privately.Across the State, 15.8 per cent of households paid more than 30.0 per cent of their income
on housing costs. However, for households renting privately a much larger proportion (28.1 per cent)
had housing costs that represented more than 30.0 per cent of their income.
Forhouseholdswithoutamortgage,housingcostswerelowerwithmorethaneightouteveryten(85.0
per cent) paying less than one-quarter of their income on housing costs (Figure 2.6). More than one-
quarter of owners with mortgages were paying over 25.0 per cent of their income on housing costs
reflectingthemoresignificantimpactofmortgagesonhouseholdincome.
Figure 2.5 Tenure by income quintile, Queensland, 1999
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Without a
mortgage
With a mortgage State housing
authority
Private landlord
Percentofeachtenure
Lowest Second Third Fourth Highest

2.3 Dwelling characteristics and conditions
2.3.1 Most dwellings are houses with three or more bedrooms
At the time of the survey in 1999, the majority of
homes acrossAustralia were separate dwellings
(79.4 per cent) a similar proportion to 1994. This
dominanceofseparatedwellingswaspronounced
inruralareas.Queenslandhadthesecondhighest
proportion of separate dwellings in its housing
stock(84.1percent)followingTasmaniawith87.9
per cent.
Change over recent years…
The proportion of separate houses and semi-
detacheddwellingsinQueensland’shousingstock
has increased over the five years to 1999. An
additional 143,100 separate houses were added
to Queensland’s dwelling stock between 1994 and 1999 or more than 28,000 new houses each year.
Semi-detacheddwellingsortownhousesincreasedfrom54,900dwellingsin1994(4.6percentofthe
dwelling stock) to 68,800 dwellings in 1999 (5.1 per cent). By contrast, the survey showed that the
number of flats, units and apartments declined from 150,700 (or 12.6 per cent) in 1994 to 118,300 (or
8.8 per cent) in 1999.
Detached dwellings are the most common form of housing
across Australia
Figure 2.6 Tenure by housing costs as a proportion of income, Queensland, 1999
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Without a
mortgage
With a mortgage State housing
authority
Private landlord
Percentofeachtenure
25% or less More than 25% More than 30% More than 40% More than 50%

Other dwellings have only one or two bedrooms…
More than six out of every ten separate houses in Queensland had three bedrooms (60.3 per cent)
while a further 27.7 per cent had four or more bedrooms. By contrast, seven out of every ten semi-
detached dwellings (70.9 per cent) and eight out of every ten flats (84.3 per cent) had only one or two
bedrooms.
InQueensland,morethanthree-quartersofhouseholdswereindwellingswiththreeormorebedrooms
(76.9 per cent) compared to 70.4 per cent of households in New South Wales and 73.2 per cent of
householdsinVictoria.ThisisrelatedtothehigherproportionofrecentlybuiltdwellingsinQueensland
(see Section 3.2 below).
Brisbane City had a higher proportion of dwellings with three or more bedrooms (79.0 per cent) than
did the balance of the State (74.9 per cent).
2.3.2 Queensland’s dwelling stock relatively new
More than half of dwellings occupied byAustralian households were 20 or more years old (57.5 per
cent) with 18.0 per cent 50 or more years old. By contrast, Queensland has relatively newer dwelling
stock with only 45.1 per cent of dwellings 20 or more years old and 14.7 per cent 50 or more years
old.
Queenslandhadthehighestproportionofrelatively
newdwellingsofanystateorterritoryinAustralia.
More than one-quarter (26.1 per cent) of
Queenslanddwellingswerelessthantenyearsold
compared to only 17.2 per cent in New South
Walesand14.0percentinVictoria.Thedwelling
stockinBrisbaneSDwasslightlyolderwith24.9
per cent less than ten years old compared with
27.0 per cent in the balance of the State. This
illustrates the large amount of residential
developmentthathasoccurredoutsideBrisbane,
predominantly in South East Queensland, in the
pastdecade.Thesurveyshowedthatoneinevery
four dwellings (24.5 per cent) outside Brisbane SD had only one or two bedrooms compared to one
out of every five dwellings (20.6 per cent) in Queensland’s capital city.
The NorthernTerritory had the highest proportion of dwellings less than five years old (12.8 per cent)
numberingaround6,800dwellings.Bycontrast,morethan135,000dwellingsinQueensland(10.1per
centofalldwellings)werelessthanfiveyearsold.
2.3.3 Dwellings increase in size but house fewer people
Thesizeofhouseholdsisdeclining,howevertheaveragefloorareaofnewdwellingsisincreasingand
spare bedrooms are common. The net result is that more land and more dwellings are required to
accommodate a smaller number of people.
The Canadian National Occupancy Standard for housing appropriateness was used byABS to derive
ameasureofhousingutilisation.Thismeasurerevealedvariationsinutilisationbyhouseholdtype.For
example, around half of all couple families with dependent children (49.6 per cent) had one spare
bedroom while a further one-quarter (27.0 per cent) did not require any additional bedrooms. By
Queensland had the highest proportion of relatively new
dwellings, with more than a quarter less than ten years old

contrast,eightoutofeverytencoupleonlyhouseholds(79.1percent)and48.8percentofloneperson
households had two or more spare bedrooms.
Nearly half (44.7 per cent) of separate houses had two or more spare bedrooms while six out of every
ten (59.2 per cent) semi-detached dwellings and four out of every ten (41.0 per cent) flats had at least
one bedroom spare.
Despite perceived spare capacity, there has been a steady increase in the average floor area of new
dwellings, particularly new houses, over the past 15 years. Between June 1986 and June 2000, the
average floor area of new dwellings inAustralia increased by more than one-quarter (28.2 per cent)
from155.6m2
to199.5m2
(or an increase of 40 m2
). Over the same period, the increase in new houses
was 30.5 per cent with the addition of more than 50 m2
to the average floor area.
Increases in the floor area of newAustralian houses (30.5 per cent over the period 1986 to 2000) were
slightlylargerthanincreasesinotherresidentialbuildings(25.4percent).Housesincapitalcitiestended
to be larger than other residential buildings by an average of about 100 m2
(229.8 m2
and 128.3 m2
respectively)butoutsidecapitalcities,otherresidentialbuildingswereslightlylargerthanthoseincapital
cities (134.7 m2
and 128.3 m2
respectively).
2.3.4 Queensland dwellings in good repair
Eight out of ten (81.2 per cent) Queensland dwellings were reported as having no major structural
problems.Forthosedwellingswhereproblemswereidentified,themaindefectsweresinkingormoving
foundations (5.4 per cent of responses), major cracks in walls or floors (5.8 per cent) and walls or
windows out of plumb (4.5 per cent).Approximately 47,700 Queensland households indicated that
they required essential or urgent interior repairs (3.6 per cent of households) while about 63,200
households said they had an essential or urgent need for exterior repairs (4.7 per cent).
Painting the most common maintenance…
In the twelve months prior to the survey, more than four out of ten households (44.2 per cent) had no
repairs or maintenance. Of those households where repairs or maintenance occurred, 370,800
householdshadpaintingdone,347,400hadplumbingrepairs,262,700householdshadelectricalwork
followed by 150,200 households that had roof repair or maintenance completed. For households that
had repairs or maintenance completed in the previous twelve months, 306,800 households (or 41.0
per cent) paid less than $1,000 for the completed work.
Extensions or swimming pools the most
commonaddition…
More than seven out of every ten Queensland
householdshadhadnoalterationsoradditionsto
their dwelling in the past two years. Of the
households who did have work done on their
dwelling, the most common addition was an
extension, swimming pool or other external
alteration (27.7 per cent of dwellings with
alterationsoradditions).Thenextmostcommon
was internal alterations or additions other than
kitchens or bathrooms (27.3 per cent) and the
installation of security screens or doors (26.5 per
External alterations were one of the most common additions to
housing in Queensland

cent). Nearly 40.0 per cent (39.6 per cent) of alterations and additions in the previous two years had
cost less than $5,000 with more than one-quarter (27.9 per cent) costing less than $2,500.
2.4 Queensland housing costs slightly above the national average
In Queensland in 1999, the average weekly housing cost for all households was $123 (slightly higher
than theAustralian average of $121) while the average weekly income was $892 (somewhat lower
than theAustralian average of $967). For owners without a mortgage, the average housing cost was
$44 per week while owners with a mortgage had the highest housing costs spending an average of
$201 each week. For households renting their dwelling, average housing costs were $135 per week,
however households renting privately spent an average of $148 per week. Households renting from
the state housing authority had a lower average expenditure of $67 each week.
Renters spend the largest share of income on housing…
Householdsspendingthehighestproportionoftheirincomeonhousingcostswererenting(18percent
forprivaterentersand17percentforrentersinpublichousing).However,housingcostsvariedaccording
toincomewithhouseholdsinthelowestincomegroupsspendingthehighestproportionoftheirincome
on housing costs compared to other households. For example, for the lowest income households,
owners with a mortgage spent 63 per cent of their income on housing costs compared to owners in the
highestincomegroupwhospentonly12percentoftheirincome.Similarly,peopleinthelowestincome
groupwhowererentingprivatelyspent65percentoftheirincomeonhousingcostswhilepeopleinthe
highest income group who rented privately spent only 9 per cent of their income on housing.
For those households who were renting privately, 28.1 per cent spent more than 30.0 per cent of their
income on housing while for owners with a mortgage 18.9 per cent spent more than 30.0 per cent of
theirincome.
Housing costs in Brisbane are average for capital cities…
HighesthousingcostswereinSydneywheretheaverageweeklycostwas$164whileAdelaidehadthe
lowestaverageweeklyhousingcostof$96.TheaverageweeklyhousingcostinBrisbanein1999was
$139, comparable to the average for all capital cities of $135 (Figure 2.7). Home owners with a
mortgage had the highest average weekly housing costs in Brisbane ($229) while those without a
mortgage had the lowest ($50). Only home owners with a mortgage in Sydney had higher average
weekly housing costs than those in Brisbane ($268 compared to $229), however they also had
considerably higher incomes than people purchasing their home in Brisbane ($1,658 compared to
$1,307).ThisresultedinBrisbanehavingthehighestaveragehousingcostsasaproportionofincome
of all the capital cities (15 per cent).
Housing affordability is also discussed in Section 5.4 of Chapter 5.

2.5 Recent home buyers
Forpeoplewhoacquiredtheirdwellinginthetwo
years to 1999 (recent home buyers), most were
changeover buyers (63.9 per cent) with less than
one in three being first home buyers (29.1 per
cent). Both changeover buyers and first home
buyersfavouredestablishedhomesinsteadofnew
homes. Changeover buyers acquired more than
85,000 established homes in Queensland in the
two years to 1999 compared to around 36,000
newhomes.Similarly,morethaneightoutofevery
ten first home buyers (85.9 per cent) acquired an
established home (47,000 homes) rather than a
new home (8,000 homes). In total, recent home
buyersinQueenslandacquiredthreetimesasmany
established homes as new homes (143,000
established homes and 46,000 new homes).
Recent home buyers likely to be high
income earners…
Fiveoutofeverytenrecenthomebuyerhouseholds
across Australia were in the top two income
quintiles. However, in Queensland only four out
of every ten (39.2 per cent) recent home buyer
householdswereinthetoptwoincomequintiles.
Figure 2.7 Average weekly housing costs, selected capital cities, 1999
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth All Capital
Cities
Meanweeklyhousingcosts($)
Owner without a mortgage Owner with a mortgage Renter
Recent homebuyers in Queensland preferred established rather
than new homes

Firsthomebuyerhouseholdshadhigherweeklyhousingcoststhanchangeoverbuyerhouseholds.This
isdespitefirsthomebuyerhouseholdsgenerallyspendinglessinpurchasingtheirhomethanchangeover
home buyers. Eighty-one per cent of first home buyers in Queensland purchased their home for less
than $125,000 compared to 44.6 per cent of changeover buyers.
Savings were indicated as the source of deposit for 73.8 per cent of recent home buyer households in
Queensland while the sale of a former home was the deposit source for 18.9 per cent of recent home
buyers. For one in five recent home buyers (21.1 per cent), the deposit represented less than 5.0 per
cent of the purchase price of their new home.
2.6 Most people move to a home nearby
Forhouseholdswheretherespondenthadlivedinthecurrentdwellingforlessthannineyears,54.2per
centofQueenslandownerswithoutamortgagewereinthesametenureasfortheirpreviousdwelling.
Six out of every ten (59.0 per cent) owners with a mortgage had been previously renting while one-
quarter(26.5percent)ofownerswithoutamortgagehadbeenpreviouslyrenting.Bycontrast,8.8per
centofhouseholdsrentinghadpreviouslyownedtheirownhome.
Familiaritywithanareaisamajorattractorandmakesastrongcontributiontothechoiceoflocationof
new dwellings. For most people, the location of their previous dwelling was in the same suburb, town
orlocality(41.1percent)orwithinthesamestateorterritory(49.2percent).InQueensland,reflecting
the higher levels of migration over recent decades, 7.8 per cent of households had their previous
dwelling interstate and 1.9 per cent had previously lived overseas.Ahigher proportion of Queensland
owners without mortgages previously lived interstate (13.6 per cent) while six out of every ten people
rentingfromthestatehousingauthorityinQueenslandpreviouslylivedinthesameStatepossiblyreflecting
difficultiesinbeingallocatedpropertiesacrossstateborderswithdifferentwaitinglistsandregulations.
Renters most likely to move…
Queenslandhouseholdsrentingprivatelywerethemostlikelytomovefrequentlywithmorethanhalf
(57.7 per cent) having moved at least three times in the past five years. By contrast, those households
owning their home without a mortgage were least likely to move with nearly half (48.2 per cent) not
havingmovedatallinthepastfiveyears.Householdsrentingprivatelywerealsothegroupmostlikely
tohavemovedrecently,withmorethaneightoutoftenhouseholds(83.8percent)havinglivedintheir
current dwelling for two years or less.

2.7 Housing profiles of different life-cycle groups in Queensland
Young single households (under 35 years)
· Nearly two-thirds (65.9 per cent) of young single households rented their dwelling with most
rentingprivately(comparedto29.8percentofallhouseholdsthatwererentingtheirdwelling).
· Youngsingleswerethreetimesmorelikelytoliveinflatsorsemi-detacheddwellingscompared
with all households (39.9 per cent and 13.9 per cent respectively).
· Half of young single households lived in smaller dwellings with only two bedrooms, twice the
proportion of all households (49.4 per cent and 20.4 per cent respectively).
· Eight out of ten (83.0 per cent) households containing young single people were working
(compared to 66.4 per cent of all households), mostly as wage or salary earners. More than half
(51.3percent)ofyoungsinglehouseholdshadagrossweeklyincomeinthetwolowestquintiles
(compared to 41.2 per cent of all households).
· Average weekly housing costs for young single households were higher ($140 compared to
$123forallhouseholdsand$47forolderlonepersonhouseholds).Thismeantthatyoungsingle
householdsspentahigherproportionoftheirincomeonhousing(youngsinglesspentanaverage
of 21 per cent of their income on housing costs) compared to all households (14 per cent).
Young singles were three times more likely to live in flats or
semi-detached dwellings

Young couple only households (under 35 years)
· Almosthalfofyoungcouplehouseholds(49.3percent)rentedtheirhomeandnearlyhalf(45.8
percent)werepurchasingtheirdwelling.
· Eight out of every ten young couple households lived in separate houses with 61.2 per cent in
dwellingswiththreebedrooms.
· Young couple households (65.6 per cent) were nearly twice as likely to be high-income earners
(top two gross weekly income quintiles) as all households (38.0 per cent).
· Most young couples were working as wage or salary earners with the majority (80.6 per cent)
having two earners in the household compared to only one-third of all households (33.6 per
cent).
· Youngcouplehouseholdsweremorelikelytobelivinginnewerdwellingswithmorethanone-
third (37.4 per cent) in dwellings less than ten years old compared to 26.1 per cent of all
households.
· Averageweeklyhousingcostsforyoungcouplehouseholdswere74percenthigherthanforall
households ($214 and $123 respectively).
· However,theyalsohadrelativelyhighaverageweeklyincomesleavingthemwithaslightlylarger
share of income spent on housing compared to all households (18 per cent and 14 per cent
respectively).
· Youngpeopleincouplerelationshipsspendlessonhousing(18percentofincome)thanyoung
people living alone (21 per cent).
Almost half of young couple households rented their home
and nearly half were purchasing their dwelling

· The main source of income for between seven and eight out of ten families was from a wage or
salary. Up to 15.0 per cent of older families had their own business compared to smaller shares
ofyoungerfamilies.
· Theshareoffamilieswiththeirownbusinesswasonlyslightlylargerthantheshareoffamiliesthat
received income from Government pensions or allowances (about one in every ten families),
except for one-parent families where more than half received a pension or allowance.
· Between six and seven of every ten families spent less than one-quarter of their income on
housing.However,onlyfouroutofeverytenone-parentfamiliesspentthislittleonhousingwith
the same number spending more than 30.0 per cent of their income on shelter.
· Younger families were smaller (average of 3.4 usual residents in the house) than older families
(average of 4.2 residents). One-parent families were smaller again (average of 2.7 residents).
· More than nine out of every ten families live in separate houses reflecting their greater need for
space.Possiblyduetofinancialconstraintsbutalsoreflectingtheirsmallerfamilysize,aboutone
ineveryfiveone-parentfamiliesliveinflats,unitsorsemi-detachedhomes.
· Familieswithyoungerchildrentendtoliveinnewerdwellingswhileolderfamiliesarethemain
occupants of dwellings more than 15 years old.
· Families without a mortgage naturally had lower average housing costs (between $35 and $46
each week) than families with mortgages (between $180 and $220 each week). In comparison,
families renting privately spent an average of between $150 and $168 each week on housing.
Families
· Higherproportionsoffamilieswitholderchildren(aboutone-quarter)ownedtheirhousewithout
a mortgage than those with younger children. This reflects the better financial position of older
families.
· Larger proportions of young families rented their home than families with older children. This
mayreflectthemovetohomeownershipasfinancialcircumstancesimprovedwithcareerprogress
and as the children grow up.
· Around four out of ten families with young
children were among the top 40.0 per cent
ofincomeearners.Asthechildrengotolder,
five out of ten families had incomes in the
top40.0percent,whilesixoutoftenfamilies
withchildrenagedbetween15and24years
had incomes in the same category.
· Average weekly income increases with the
ageofchildren.Familieseitherowningtheir
home or purchasing it had higher average
weekly incomes than families renting their
home.
More than nine out of every ten families lived in separate
houses

One-parent families
· Six out of every ten one-parent families rented their home, a much higher share than for other
typesoffamilies.
· Theselowerlevelsofhomeownershipreflectthegenerallypoorerfinancialstatusofone-parent
families due to lower workforce participation rates (more than one-third were not in the labour
force).
· One-parent families are also restricted to a single income (about half had one earner compared
to 29.8 per cent of all families) and in many cases very little income with half of all one-parent
familiesinQueenslandhavingnoearnersatallintheirhousehold(comparedto29.7percentof
allhouseholdswithnoearners).
· Seventy per cent of one-parent family households were in the two lowest income quintiles
compared to four out of ten of all households.
· One-parent families’ lower incomes meant that average housing costs represented one-quarter
of their income compared to 19 per cent for young families and 12 per cent for older families.
Six out of every ten one-parent families rented their home

Older couples and older lone people
· As home ownership increases with age, both older couples and older lone people are more
likelytoowntheirhomethanotherlife-cyclegroups.Alargershareofoldercouples(agedover
65 years) own their home than do younger retiree couples (aged between 55 and 64 years)
(89.8 per cent and 70.7 per cent respectively).
· However, possibly reflecting a poor financial position or special dwelling requirements, only
71.0 per cent of older people living alone owned their home without a mortgage while two in
every ten were renting, half of them in the private rental market.
· Olderpeoplelivinginacoupleonlyhouseholdweremorelikelytoliveinseparatedwellingsthan
older lone person households (90.6 per cent compared to 71.0 per cent).
· Aboutone-thirdofcouplesagedbetween55and64yearswerenotinthelabourforce,increasing
to more than nine out of every ten older couples and people over 65 years living alone. This
meant that half of pre- and early retirement couples were still receiving wages or salaries while
themajorityofolderpeople,bothcouplesandpeoplelivingalone,receivedmostoftheirincome
from a pension or allowance. Nearly one-quarter of couples over 65 years also received other
cash income compared to only 12.3 per cent of older lone people.
· Nineoutofeverytenolderpeoplelivingalonewereinthelowestincomequintile.Justoverone-
quarterofoldercoupleswereinthesamecategorywhileatotalofthree-quartersearnedincomes
in the bottom 40.0 per cent of incomes.
· Duetotheirhigherlevelsofhomeownership,olderpeoplegenerallyspentsmallerproportions
oftheirincomeonhousing. However,oneineveryfiveolderpeoplelivingalonespentmorethan
30.0 per cent of their income on housing.
· Themajorityofolderpeopleliveinseparatehousesbutoneinfiveolderlonepeopleliveinflats,
unitsorapartments.
· Averageweeklyhousingcostsforolderpeoplelivingalonearesimilartothoseforoldercouples
(about $48 per week). Reflecting their higher incomes, couples aged between 55 and 64 years
had higher housing costs ($70 per week).
· Despitehavingsimilarweeklyhousingcosts,olderlonepeoplehadmuchlowerweeklyincomes
thanoldercouples($232and$473respectively).Thisresultedinolderlonepeoplespendingup
to 20.0 per cent of their income on housing compared to 10.0 per cent of their income for older
couples.
· In 1999 there were more older lone person households (121,800 households with a respondent
aged65yearsormore)thanoldercouplehouseholds(101,100households).Thiswasparticularly
noticeableamongpeoplerentingwith26,800olderpeoplelivingaloneinrentedaccommodation
including 12,100 older people who were in the private rental market.

Contents
3.1 Introduction _______________________________________________________ 28
3.2 What is the likelihood of moving? _____________________________________ 28
Mobility declines with age… ________________________________ 28
Some households move more often… _________________________ 28
Flat and unit dwellers are more likely to move… ________________ 31
Renters are the most mobile… ______________________________ 31
Unemployed people most likely to move…_____________________ 31
3.3 Housing behaviour among movers _____________________________________ 32
Most movers were renters…________________________________ 32
People move to buy a home… _______________________________ 32
Some owners move to mortgages… __________________________ 33
Some purchasers moved to rental… __________________________ 33
Some renters moved to buying… ____________________________ 33
Most people moved only a short distance…____________________ 33
Housing reasons were the explanation for most moves… _________ 34
Regional Queenslanders twice as likely to move for jobs… _______ 34
Lifecycle reasons also important… ___________________________ 35
Friends, family and lifestyle influenced moves… ________________ 35
Improved accessibility, then housing, the most important reasons
for interstate and overseas movers… ______________________ 35
Accessibility and housing costs influence choice of location… _____ 35
Dwelling choice related to space needs and maintenance… _______ 36
Interstate and overseas movers also chose their dwelling based
on housing characteristics… ______________________________ 36
3.4 Housing behaviour among people who didn’t move________________________ 37
3.5 Housing behaviour among likely movers ________________________________ 37
Young people are most likely to thinkof moving… _______________ 38
People expect to move to buy their home… ____________________ 38
Many expect moves to occur in the short-term… _______________ 38
Many potential movers want to stay in Queensland… ___________ 39
Housing remains a strong reason for people to plan a move… _____ 39
Chapter Three: Choosing a home in Queensland

3.1 Introduction
Queenslanders,similartootherAustralians,arehighlymobilewithtwooutofeveryfivemovingatleast
once in five years. Given the high net migration gains recorded over the past decade, large sections of
the Queensland population have moved recently and purchased, rented or built a home.
This Chapter looks at why people moving in Queensland left their home and what they looked for in
choosinganewareaandanewhometolivein.Differencesinhousingchoicesbetweenmovers,thatis,
peoplewhohadmovedinthepastthreeyears,non-moversandthoseintendingtomovewithinthenext
three years are also examined.
AsfuturemigrationpatternsareexpectedtocontinuefavouringQueensland,thepasthousingbehaviour
ofQueenslandmoversisavaluableindicatorofthenatureoffuturehousingdemand.
Data are sourced from anAustralianBureauofStatistics (ABS) survey conducted in October 2000 on
the mobility of the Queensland population (ABS, 2000, Population Mobility Queensland, Cat No.
3237.3). The information is generally for Queensland as a whole, however some figures are provided
for Brisbane (Statistical Division) and for non-metropolitan areas (the balance of the State).
Furtherdetailedanalysisonthepatternsofmovementandcharacteristicsofmoversto,fromandwithin
Queensland between 1991 and 1996 can be found in Migration Queensland 1991 to 1996 available
fromthePlanningInformationandForecastingUnit.
3.2 What is the likelihood of moving?
Two out of every five (41.9 per cent) Queenslanders over 18 years of age moved in the three years to
2000.Thisamountedtomorethanonemillionpeople(1,078,500)movingoverthethree-yearperiod.
Thelikelihoodofmovingvarieswithcertaincharacteristicswhicharedescribedbelowandsummarised
inTable 3.1.
Mobility declines with age…
Young people aged 25 to 34 years were most likely to move with over two-thirds (67.5 per cent)
havingmovedinthethreeyearsto2000(Figure3.1).Youngerpeopleaged18to24yearswerealmost
as likely to move (63.0 per cent), followed by people aged between 35 and 44 years (41.8 per cent).
However, mobility declined steadily after the mid-forties with only 13.7 per cent of people aged over
65 years recording a recent move.
Some households move more often…
Thehouseholdtypemostlikelytomoveinthethree
years to 2000 was group-households (80.3 per
cent), although movers from these households
accounted for only 11.6 per cent of all moves.
One-parentfamilieswerealsolikelytohavemoved
with nearly half (43.2 per cent) having moved in
the three years to 2000. Nearly two out of every
five(39.2percent)peoplelivingalonehadmoved,
but both lone persons (9.2 per cent) and one-
parent families (7.4 per cent) accounted for
relativelysmallsharesofallmoves.Coupleswith
children (36.8 per cent or 397,300 people) and couples without children (24.0 per cent or 259,200
people) accounted for the largest share of all moves (Figure 3.2).
The household type most likely to move were group households

Table 3.1 Summary of characteristics of movers(a) and non-movers, 18 years and over,
Queensland, October 2000
Total
No. % No. % No. Movers Non- Total
movers
Age
18-24 years 220,400 20.4 129,700 8.5 350,100 63.0 37.0 100.0
25-34 years 358,400 33.2 172,400 11.3 530,800 67.5 32.5 100.0
35-44 years 226,600 21.0 315,000 20.6 541,600 41.8 58.2 100.0
45-54 years 142,500 13.2 342,300 22.4 484,800 29.4 70.6 100.0
55-64 years 79,300 7.4 244,200 16.0 323,500 24.5 75.5 100.0
65 years or more 51,200 4.7 322,100 21.1 373,300 13.7 86.3 100.0
Total(b) 1,078,500 100.0 1,525,600 100.0 2,604,100 41.4 58.6 100.0
Household Type
Lone person 99,200 9.2 154,100 10.1 253,300 39.2 60.8 100.0
Couple only 259,200 24.0 476,800 31.3 736,000 35.2 64.8 100.0
Couple with children 397,300 36.8 651,900 42.7 1,049,200 37.9 62.1 100.0
One-parent family 79,800 7.4 104,900 6.9 184,700 43.2 56.8 100.0
Group households 125,000 11.6 30,700 2.0 155,700 80.3 19.7 100.0
Other households 118,100 10.9 107,100 7.0 225,200 52.4 47.6 100.0
Total(b) 1,078,500 100.0 1,525,600 100.0 2,604,100 41.4 58.6 100.0
Current dwelling
Separate house 790,000 73.3 1,413,500 92.7 2,203,500 35.9 64.1 100.0
Townhouse etc 143,500 13.3 36,500 2.4 180,000 79.7 20.3 100.0
Flat/unit/apartment 133,800 12.4 61,200 4.0 195,000 68.6 31.4 100.0
Other dwelling 11,100 1.0 14,400 0.9 25,500 43.5 56.5 100.0
Total(b) 1,078,500 100.0 1,525,600 100.0 2,604,100 41.4 58.6 100.0
Current tenure
Owner 114,800 10.7 683,800 44.9 798,600 14.4 85.6 100.0
Purchaser 288,700 26.8 464,300 30.5 753,000 38.3 61.7 100.0
Renter 551,500 51.2 184,700 12.1 736,200 74.9 25.1 100.0
Boarder 15,700 1.5 *2,600 0.2 18,300 85.8 14.2 100.0
Rent-free 96,300 8.9 174,200 11.4 270,500 35.6 64.4 100.0
Other(c) 10,900 1.0 14,100 0.9 25,000 43.6 56.4 100.0
Total(b) 1,078,500 100.0 1,525,600 100.0 2,604,100 41.4 58.6 100.0
(a) Movers are persons who moved in the three years prior to the survey (October 2000)
(b) Total includes some not stated responses. Other totals do not always add due to rounding
(c) Other includes life tenants and participants in rent/buy schemes
Movers Non-movers Proportion
* Estimate has relative standard error greater than 50 per cent
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2000, Population Mobility, Queensland

Figure 3.2 Household composition by mobility, Queensland, 2000
0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200
Lone person
Couple only
Couple with children
One-parent family
Group households
Other households
Persons (’000)
Movers Non-movers
Figure 3.1 Mobility by age, Queensland, 2000
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
18-24
years
25-34
years
35-44
years
45-54
years
55-64
years
65 years or
more
Persons(’000)
Movers Non-movers

Flat and unit dwellers are more likely to move…
Eightoutofeveryten(79.7percent)peoplelivingintownhousesorothersemi-detachedhousinghad
movedinthethreeyearsto2000.Similarly,nearlysevenoutofeveryten(68.6percent)peopleinflats,
units or apartment had moved. By contrast, only three out of every ten (35.9 per cent) people in
separate houses had moved. However, moves by people in separate houses accounted for nearly
three-quarters of all moves (73.3 per cent or 790,000 people) due to the large proportion of separate
housesinQueensland’sdwellingstock(Figure3.3).
Renters are the most mobile…
Three-quarters (74.9 per cent or 551,500 people) of all current renters had moved over the previous
three years (Figure 3.4). By contrast, one-third (38.3 per cent) of people purchasing their home had
moved recently and only 14.4 per cent of people who owned their home had moved.
Unemployed people most likely to move…
Unemployed people were most likely to have moved recently (69.9 per cent). However, employed
people, while less likely to move (44.5 per cent) comprised more than two-thirds of all movers (68.7
per cent). Of all movers, only 20.0 per cent identified improved job prospects as a consideration in
moving.
Figure 3.3 Current dwelling by mobility, Queensland, 2000
(a) Other dwelling includes caravans, cabins, houseboats, etc
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500
Separate house
Townhouse etc
Flat/unit/apartment
Other dwelling(a)
Persons (’000)
Movers Non-movers

3.3 Housing behaviour among movers
The following section focuses upon the importance of housing choices in contributing to decisions to
moveeitherwithinQueenslandorfrominterstateandoverseas.Anumberofbroadtrendsareapparent.
In particular,renterswerethepredominantmovers,moveswithinQueenslandweremostlyovershort
distances and the highest rates of mobility were among young people.
Most movers were renters…
More than half (52.6 per cent) or 567,200 out of the one million Queenslanders who moved in the
three years to October 2000 were currently renting, while about one-quarter (26.8 per cent) were
purchasing their home and 10.6 per cent were owners.Young people (aged between 18 and 34 years)
who were renting made up one-third of all moves (33.0 per cent) in the three-year period.
People owning their homes were less likely to move (only 14.4 per cent of home owners at the time of
the survey were movers) whereas three-quarters (74.9 per cent) of renters had moved in the three
years to 2000. Owners were more likely to be older and less likely to move as age increased, while
renters were younger and more mobile.
People move to buy a home…
More than one-third of people purchasing their home had moved in the three years to 2000 (38.3 per
cent).Almost three-quarters (72.6 per cent) of these current purchasers were aged between 25 and 44
years.
Figure 3.4 Current tenure by mobility, Queensland, 2000
(a) Other includes life tenants and participants in rent/buy schemes
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
Owner Purchaser Renter Boarder Rent-free Other(a)
Persons(’000)
Movers Non-movers

Some owners move to mortgages…
Over half of all movers (55.4 per cent) who owned their previous dwelling also owned their new
dwellingaftermoving.However,20.7percentofpreviousownersincurredmortgagesaftertheirmove,
possibly due to purchasing a newer or larger dwelling or a dwelling in a higher cost location.
Some purchasers moved to rental…
Six out of every ten people buying their home (61.6 per cent) remained purchasers after their move.
However, 20.1 per cent of people who previously had mortgages became renters after their move,
perhaps reflecting affordability issues, a desire to divest themselves of a fixed or immoveable asset or
indeed to become more mobile.
Some renters moved to buying…
Almostone-thirdofallmovers(29.2percent)whopreviouslyrentedaseparatehousebecamepurchasers
after their move. However, more renters (45.7 per cent) continued renting a separate house after they
moved (Figure 3.5).
Most people moved only a short distance…
The majority of moves were over short distances. Six out of every ten Queensland movers (63.7 per
cent)movedlessthan20kilometreswhilethreeoutoften(30.9percent)movedlessthanfivekilometres.
Only 14.1 per cent of movers within Queensland had relocated more than 50 kilometres from their
previousplaceofresidenceshowingthedominanceofshort-distancemoves.Afurther11.7percentof
movers relocated from interstate or overseas.
Most younger people (between 18 and 24 years) moved less than five kilometres while slightly older
people (between 25 to 34 years) tended to move a little further (between five and 20 kilometres).
Figure 3.5 Previous tenure by current tenure of movers within Queensland, 2000
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
Previous
owner
Previous
purchaser
Previous
renter
separate
house
Previous
renter other
dwelling
Previous
rent-free
Previous
other
Persons(’000)
Current ow ner Current purchaser Current renter separate house
Current renter other dw elling Current other

The proportion of older movers relocating over substantial distances is worthy of note. For pre- or
early retirement movers (55 to 64 years), 16.5 per cent moved more than 50 kilometres and a further
21.3 per cent moved from interstate or overseas. For older movers (65 years or more), 13.6 per cent
moved more than 50 kilometres while 24.0 per cent moved from interstate or overseas. These older
movers,despiteaccountingforonlyasmallshareofallmoverswithinortoQueensland,representthe
significantretirementmarket.
About four out of every ten movers (42.7 per cent) had previously lived in the same area with 17.2 per
centgrowingupthere.Thissuggeststhatfamiliaritywithanareaisasignificantcontributortopeople’s
choiceofdestination.
Housing reasons were the explanation for most moves…
ThemainsetofreasonsgivenbypeoplemovingwithinQueenslandrelatedtohousingchoices(Figure
3.6).Nearlyhalfofallmovers(45.5percent)identifiedhousing,inparticularthedesiretobuyorbuild
(14.7percent)orthedesireforabiggerhome(10.6percent),asakeyfactorinfluencingtheirdecision
to move. Only two per cent of people moving in Queensland wanted a smaller home. These may have
been older people or empty nesters no longer requiring as much space as when their children lived at
home. Just over five per cent of people moving within Queensland did so in order to reduce rent or
mortgage payments while 5.1 per cent of moves resulted from notice being given by a landlord.
Figure 3.6 Movers within Queensland – main reason for moving, 2000
0 100 200 300 400 500
Housing reasons
Employment related reasons
Neighbourhood characteristics
Accessibility reasons
Life-cycle reasons
Other
Persons (’000)
Brisbane SD Balance of Qld
Regional Queenslanders twice as likely to move for jobs…
MoversfromQueenslandnon-metropolitanareas(outsideBrisbaneStatisticalDivision)weretwiceas
likely to move for employment reasons compared to movers from within Brisbane (17.7 per cent and
9.4 per cent respectively).

Lifecycle reasons also important…
Afurther17.3percentofpeoplemovingwithinQueenslandidentifiedlife-cyclereasons,inparticular
moving with family, to be independent, to get married or to live with a partner or as a result of a
relationship or marriage breakdown, as key contributors to moving.
Friends, family and lifestyle
influenced moves…
Accessibility reasons (13.3 per cent) such as
proximitytofamilyorfriendsandaccesstobetter
lifestyle choices were also identified as causes of
moving. Nearly twice as many movers who
relocatedwithinnon-metropolitanQueensland(6.2
percent)soughtimprovedlifestyleopportunities
comparedtothosewhorelocatedwithinBrisbane
(3.5 per cent) (Figure 3.6).
For most movers (63.8 per cent) yard size was
not an important consideration when deciding to
move.
Improved accessibility, then housing, the most important reasons for interstate and
overseas movers…
Fouroutofeverytenpeople(39.4percent)movingtoQueenslandindicatedthataccessibilityreasons
weresignificantcontributorstotheirdecisiontomove.Thesereasonsincludedproximitytofamilyor
friends, access to a better lifestyle and improved access to education.
One in four people relocating to Queensland from interstate or overseas identified housing reasons as
contributingtotheirdecisiontorelocate(comparedtotwooutoffourpeoplemovingwithinQueensland).
Key housing reasons for interstate and overseas movers included the desire to purchase or construct a
dwelling and the need to secure a smaller dwelling. Other reasons included reduction of rental or
mortgagecommitments,relocationwithfamily,gainingindependence,neighbourhoodcharacteristics,
and marriage or relationship breakdowns.
Six out of every ten people (60.8 per cent) moving to Queensland indicated that consideration of
employment prospects was not regarded as a critical factor when deciding to relocate.
Accessibility and housing costs influence choice of location…
Nearly six out of every ten people (59.1 per cent) moving to Queensland indicated that accessibility
reasons were an important consideration in determining the selection of their current location (Figure
3.7). The main accessibility factors were related to lifestyle (16.5 per cent), proximity to employment
(12.7 per cent), proximity to family or friends (11.4 per cent) and having a central location (9.7 per
cent).
Two out of every ten people (20.7 per cent) identified housing reasons as influencing the selection of
their current location. The key contributors were housing costs (11.7 per cent) and moving in with
family or friends (5.2 per cent).
Moving to be with family was a significant reason for moving

Dwelling choice related to space needs and maintenance…
Just over half of all movers within Queensland (52.9 per cent) chose their current dwelling based on
particularhomeandpropertycharacteristics(Figure3.8).Inparticular,overone-thirdofmovers(34.2
percent)chosetheirdwellingbecausetheywantedasmallerhomeoralowmaintenancehomeand/or
garden. This compares to 13.1 per cent of movers who chose their particular dwelling because they
wanted a bigger home.
Financial or personal reasons were also key factors for more than one-third (37.5 per cent) of movers,
withhousingaffordabilitydetermininghousingchoiceforoneineveryfivemovers(19.0percent).
Thereweremorethantwiceasmanymoverswantingalargerhomewhomovedlessthanfivekilometres
(16.2 per cent) as those moving greater distances and wanting a larger home (7.8 per cent of those
moving more than 20 kilometres). Conversely, neighbourhood characteristics were a more important
consideration for those moving more than 20 kilometres (6.4 per cent) than for movers relocating
withinareaswithwhichtheywerealreadyfamiliar.
Interstate and overseas movers also chose their dwelling based on housing
characteristics…
Similar to movers within Queensland, just over half of all interstate/overseas movers (51.7 per cent)
chose their current dwelling on the basis of home and property characteristics.Afurther 36.6 per cent
of interstate/overseas movers considered financial and personal reasons as significant determinants
when choosing their home. However, yard size was not an important consideration for seven out of
every ten interstate/overseas movers.
Figure 3.7 Movers within Queensland – main reasons for choosing current area,
Queensland, 2000
0 100 200 300 400 500 600
Accessibility reasons
Housing reasons
Moved with parents/family due to no
choice
Attractive neighbourhood
Other reasons
Persons (’000)
Brisbane SD Balance of Qld

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