The Department undertakes research, data collection and analysis related to issues affecting regional Australia. The information presented here allows policy makers, program administrators and researchers to understand the impacts their activities have on regional communities.
Progress in Australian Regions and Cities Dashboard
The Progress in Australian Regions and Cities Dashboard brings together information about Australia's regions from a range of different sources and presents that data in a consistent format over time. The Dashboard now also has some datasets updated monthly, so that timely and frequent data is more readily available to users. In addition, indicators will be gradually updated through the monthly cycle from December 2022 onwards. The Dashboard is designed to answer the question of how our regions are progressing against a range of key indicators from the following themes:
Please note that this dashboard performs best in modern browsers. We recommend clearing the browsing history to access the latest update of the dashboard.
Research
- Nearly twenty years of research within the Department on the important issues facing regional Australia: Research into Regional Australia.
- Working zones 2021 update
This fact sheet provides an update to the Working zones geography following the 2021 Australian Statistical Geography Standard. The Working zones statistical geography describes regions that reflect commuting patterns of Australian workers and can be used to analyse local labour markets. The release includes an excel correspondence and a shapefile to enable people to analyse their own data on this geography.
Statistical Analysis
- Population trends BCARR Migration Geography
Fact sheet providing an overview of Australian population trends over the five years between 2016 and 2021, using BCARR migration geography. - 2021 Estimated Resident Population
Statistical fact sheet of the Estimated Resident Population for Australian regions and capital cities to June 2021. - Snapshot of Cities and Regions—chart pack
This chart pack provides a summary of population, employment, housing and liveability trends for our cities and regions.
Understanding regional data series
- Understanding statistical geography
Fact sheet providing a quick guide to assist people to analyse regional data and consider what geographical scale most accurately represents their region/s of interest. - Understanding Regional Data: Population
Fact sheet providing a high level guide to finding and using regional population data. - Understanding regional data: Employment
Fact sheet to assist people to source, analyse and present regional data on employment. The fact sheet also includes a summary of other labour market data sources and characteristics. - Understanding regional data: Industry
Fact sheet providing a guide for finding and analysing regional industry data. The fact sheet also describes methods for constructing key indices of industrial diversity and structural change across regions.
The future of Australian cities and regions in a post-pandemic world
iMOVE report - The future of Australian cities and regions in a post-pandemic world
This research was conducted by the University of South Australia (UniSA) between March 2022 and June 2023, and was co-funded by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts in partnership with the iMOVE Co-operative Research Centre.
The study addresses the following questions:
- What are the primary determinants of firm and residential location patterns across Australia?
- What are the drivers of or barriers to attracting and retaining businesses and households to regional cities, and how do they differ based on characteristics of businesses, households and regions?
- What are the possible long-term impacts of COVID-19 on firm and residential location decisions across metropolitan and regional cities?
- How are these impacts likely to influence resulting spatial patterns of employment activity and residential settlement within and across these cities?
To answer these questions, UniSA undertook nationwide surveys of businesses, landlords and residents, along with conducting interviews and focus groups with residents across different city sizes and types, real estate and property developers, commercial landlords, state and local government officials, business owners and senior executives.
This study provides important insights for policymakers, businesses, and communities on current and possible future patterns of employment activity and residential settlement.