A report by consultancy firm KPMG shows that fertility rates in the inner suburbs of our two largest cities – Sydney and Melbourne – have plummeted to around half the level (2.1) needed to replace the population without immigration.
Terry Rawnsley, a KPMG demographer and urban economist who authored the report, claims the high cost of housing in Sydney and Melbourne is having a major effect on fertility patterns.
“When you’re living in a two-bedroom inner-city apartment, having two or three children is challenging,” Rawnsley says. “Areas with larger and more affordable housing tend to have higher fertility rates.”
