The recent release of ABS data has been able to provide the first full year of data which truly reflects the impacts of COVID-19 on our state’s population.

The impact of international border closures on overseas migration and a series of lockdowns due to COVID-19 resulted in Victoria experiencing a population decrease of 42,854 people over the 12 months to March 2021.

Population growth over the past 12 months was entirely due to natural increase of 28,821 people, while net overseas and intrastate migration was negative 53,484 and 18,191 respectively over the same period.

The last time Victoria recorded a quarterly fall in its population was in June 1993, in which we saw a decrease of 499 in our state’s population.

The effects of the decline in intrastate and overseas migration are reflected in the proportion of building approvals dedicated to detached housing versus multi-units.

Latest building approval data demonstrates that Victoria has seen 61,500 building approvals over the 12 months to July 2021.

Multi-units have not fared as well as detached housing, making up only 32% of all building approvals in Victoria within this period.

With Victoria’s recent COVID-19 roadmap release, we can see an end to these intrastate and international border closures into the future. But the pressures of supply shortages and reduction in multi-unit building approvals may leave us unprepared for the incoming increase in our state’s population.

MBV continues to advocate for measures to address this, including the temporary removal of stamp duty tax, reconsiderations to the introduction of Windfall Gains Tax and the emphasis for greater urban densification in Victoria.