Historic housing summit set to shape the future of regional Australia’s property landscape

The emblematic Old Parliament House in Canberra will be the meeting ground for a significant event affecting the real estate sector next month. On February 9, 2024, the National Regional Housing Summit, a historic initiative involving key industry stakeholders, is slated to be held, aiming to address the pressing concerns of regional housing in Australia.

The summit is a partnered effort by the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA), the Regional Australia Institute, and the Master Builders Association. Its central aim is to ensure that the unique requisites of Australia’s regional areas are appropriately accounted for within the Australian Government’s housing policy.

REIA’s President, Leanne Pilkington, emphasized the significance of the summit by articulating its objectives. “The summit offers an opportunity to work together, and identify what is working and come up with a solutions-based agenda,” Pilkington remarked. She went on to highlight the duality of circumstances faced by regional markets: “Regional Australia from a real estate point of view offers so much; but at the same time has greater challenges.” Alluding to the specific challenges, Pilkington mentioned, “The tyranny of distance adding extra cost and time to building more housing stock; as well as more severe skills shortages,” as impediments particular to these areas.

Despite these challenges, Pilkington remained optimistic about the role of regional Australia in the nation’s future, stating that it will be a “central feature of Australia’s economic development and NetZero ambitions moving forward.” She bolstered her point by emphasizing, “In no scenario will Australia thrive without our regions being serviced properly, with key sectors of the economy like resources, agribusiness and emerging renewables all requiring sufficient housing infrastructure moving forward.”

Leveraging the summit’s potential, Pilkington called on regional agents and businesses to actively partake in what she described as an “essential event.”

The specifics of the event, including the date, time, and location are as follows:

• Date: Friday, 9 February 2024
• Time: 8:15 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Location: Old Parliament House, Canberra
• Registration Link: https://www.regionalaustralia.org.au/EventDetail?EventKey=NRHS24&utm_source=EDM&utm_medium=Organic&utm_campaign=Organic%20EDM&_zs=gvQjm&_zl=ONcn2

The panel will feature notable industry representatives such as REIA CEO Anna Neelagama and Regional Alliance delegate Edwina Brown, Principle of Yass Real Estate.

The National Regional Housing Summit promises to be a collaborative forum where industry experts, businesses, and policy-makers can converge to create a roadmap tailored for the prosperity and sustainability of regional real estate markets.