Building approval trends in NSW

Much has been written in the last 18 months about the increasing population in regional Australia. The driver of this has been attributed to COVID-19 influenced migration (so called "flee changers"). This is despite the fact that the number of people moving out of Sydney and Melbourne has been increasing for some years, ie it predates the pandemic. This blog looks at residential building approvals data, concentrating on NSW, and its relationship to population change in regional areas. 

The demise of the corner store

Until very recently the corner store was a ubiquitous presence in Australia's suburbs, particularly in the more established areas. Many of us can remember a time when we used to buy a small bag of mixed lollies from the corner store on the way home from school. Many years ago, most shopping was done locally, often within walking distance of home. Corner stores were scattered across our inner suburbs, meeting the needs of local residents.

But corner stores have largely been relegated to the past. A number of factors have contributed to this, such as the rise of supermarkets and other convenience stores, and more recently, online shopping. This blog looks at the spatial distribution of what I've termed neighbourhood stores in Brunswick over the last 100 years.

Where did unemployment increase the most?

One of the most profound impacts of the COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns has been the loss of jobs across the economy. This has manifested itself in higher unemployment numbers and rates. Data released by the ABS through the monthly labour force survey is a leading economic indicator, but it doesn't provide the fine-grained spatial aspects to look at differences across regions. This blog uses JobSeeker and Youth Allowance data from the Department of Social Services (DSS) to look at spatial patterns of unemployment.

Who is working from home?

Working from home became de rigueur for many people in 2020. Travel restrictions and social distancing on account of a contagious virus meant that there was a large increase in the number of people setting up workplaces in their spare room on the kitchen bench. But not all jobs can be done from the comfort of your spare room, so what are the characteristics of the working from home population? What insights can be gained from the available data?

Where do international students live?

In May 2020 I published a blog that discussed the impact of COVID-19 on population growth and change in Australia. I argued that the biggest impact would be on the volume of net overseas migration (NOM), but the scale of the impact would depend on how long travel restrictions and the border closure were enforced. Two months later this still rings true. The recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Victoria just shows how precarious the situation is, with restrictions likely to remain in place for some time. This blog progresses the themes I presented in the previous blog, but looks specifically at international students and their contribution to population growth and change in Sydney and Melbourne. 

Access to supermarkets in Melbourne

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, panic buying of various household items, such as toilet paper and pasta, was rampant. Social and mainstream media were full of images of people buying large amounts of toilet paper and the resulting empty supermarket shelves. Although the supply chain has largely been restored, it did pique my interest. Where I live, there are at least six major supermarkets within a 10-minute walk from my house. No toilet paper at my preferred supermarket? Not a problem, I made my way to another. Many people in Melbourne were not so lucky. How did these households manage, particularly when they didn't have the options I did?

This blog will look at the spatial distribution of supermarkets in metropolitan Melbourne. Love 'em or hate 'em, they do provide households with a vast array of good and services. However a lack of access to supermarkets may be more symptomatic of wide disadvantage, particularly in these unprecedented times.

What impact will COVID-19 have on population growth?

There's no doubting that the COVID-19 virus and its rapid spread around the world has greatly impacted our lives. To date, much of the public discourse around COVID-19 has focussed on economic and health issues. Of course there are good reasons for this, but what impacts will there be on population change? What trends will there be in a post COVID-19 environment? Much of the answer lies in the length of time Australians are subject to COVID-19 restrictions, and this blog explores my thoughts on this issue.

Building approval trends in cities - behind the headline number

The number of building approvals is generally viewed as an indicator of the state of the economy, and hence is one of the more important data sets released by the ABS.  Approvals are linked to construction activity, jobs and the flow-on effects to the rest of the economy.  Recently I had a conversation with someone who expressed concern at the decline in building approvals, suggesting it was a precursor to an economic recession.  Now I'm not an economist by any stretch of the imagination, but surely it's more than just the number?