Between 2006 and 2011, the rate of growth in Australia’s population (8.3%) was slightly lower than the rate that new households formed (8.6%). This indicates that although the population was increasing the new households kept forming at a faster rate, meaning that there were sufficient dwellings available and affordable for them to move in to and ‘form’ households in.
Between 2011 and 2016, however, this trend reverses. The rates of population increase was slightly greater (8.8%) but the rate of new household formation was much lower at 6.8 per cent. This data may indicate that a considerable number of people are not forming new households due to a shortage of sufficient and affordable dwellings.