With population surging, billions of dollars being invested in infrastructure and Brisbane 2032 fast approaching, there was broad agreement that the Gold Coast’s future remains incredibly bright. The challenge, speakers said, is ensuring housing, planning, infrastructure and investment can keep pace.

The Chamber’s flagship 2026 Property Forum, themed Building the Gold Coast for Growth: Preparing Our City for 2032 and Beyond, featured addresses from Mayor Tom Tate, Assistant Minister for Planning, Housing and Better Regulation Rebecca Young MP and respected property analyst Michael Matusik before an expert panel of some of Queensland’s leading developers explored the realities facing the industry.

Growth is no longer the question

Opening proceedings, Chamber President Laura Younger said the conversation had shifted beyond whether the Gold Coast would continue to grow.
“The real question now is whether our system can keep up with our pace of growth,” she said.   Younger described housing affordability as one of the city’s most significant economic challenges, warning businesses cannot continue to grow if workers are unable to find somewhere to live.

“We cannot talk about growth without talking about housing affordability,” she said.   “This is not a social issue. It is a core economic constraint.”

“If workers cannot live here, businesses cannot operate here.”   She said more than 300 older women are currently sleeping in their cars across the Gold Coast, describing affordable housing as essential to building a healthy and productive city.

“A thriving city requires strong health services, safe housing and leaders willing to step forward,” she said.  While acknowledging major infrastructure projects such as the new light rail extension, Younger said the city must now focus on removing barriers that delay development.  “When construction costs climb, when finance tightens and when approvals drag, projects stop stacking.”

Confidence, certainty and a city that says yes

Mayor Tom Tate delivered an optimistic assessment of the city’s future, predicting another 15,000 people will move to the Gold Coast over the next year alone.  “There’s going to be 15,000 people coming to the Gold Coast in the next 12 months,” he said.  Rather than slowing, Tate said demand for the Gold Coast lifestyle remained exceptionally strong.

He revealed work was underway on a new city planning scheme aimed at creating greater certainty for residents, developers and investors, with a goal of having the new town plan operational within the next year.  “I’d like to see the new town plan active within 12 months,” he said.  One of the Mayor’s ambitions is making planning information significantly easier to understand, allowing residents to use artificial intelligence to instantly determine what can and cannot be built on a property.  “I want to be able to go to our website and AI can tell me, in simple terms, what I can put on there.”

Mayor Tate also reflected on the city’s remarkable economic transformation, noting the Gold Coast’s Gross Domestic Product has grown from around $30 billion in 2011 to more than $55 billion today.  Rather than becoming simply a “smart city”, he challenged businesses to focus on building a “smart economy” driven by entrepreneurship, innovation and emerging industries.  He also introduced the city’s new positioning statement: Gold Coast Says Yes.  “We say yes to innovation, we say yes to smart thinking,” he said.

Queensland’s housing pipeline gathers momentum

Assistant Minister Rebecca Young said Queensland was making significant progress towards its ambitious target of delivering one million new homes by 2044.  She revealed more than 50,000 homes are currently under construction across the state – a record – while the construction pipeline has grown by more than 25 per cent in just 12 months.  “Meeting our target of one million homes by 2044 will only happen if government and industry continue to work together,” she said.

Young highlighted major planning reforms already reducing approval times, with more than 14,600 homes approved through Priority Development Areas during the past financial year.  She also pointed to almost $146 million in infrastructure funding recently committed on the Gold Coast, including upgrades to the Merrimac Sewage Treatment Plant expected to unlock more than 18,000 future homes.  “The Gold Coast is leading the way,” she said.

The workforce housing dilemma

Few presentations attracted as much attention as Michael Matusik’s market analysis. The respected property analyst painted a picture of an economy outperforming almost every other region in Australia.  The Gold Coast is now Australia’s seventh-largest economy, worth approximately $58 billion, while almost 90,000 new jobs have been created since COVID.   Yet despite those impressive numbers, Matusik argued housing affordability represented the single greatest threat to the city’s long-term prosperity.

“About 26 per cent of your workforce actually work here, can’t live here,” he said.

Without meaningful intervention, he warned the number of workers commuting long distances would continue to rise, making it increasingly difficult for businesses to attract and retain staff.  “The greatest threat to the Gold Coast in the future is to fail to build attainable homes.”

His challenge to government and industry was clear: find ways to deliver a broader mix of housing that allows essential workers to remain close to where they work.   “Great cities house their workforce.”

Industry calls for faster decisions and smarter delivery

The afternoon concluded with an engaging panel discussion featuring McNab founder Michael McNab, GemLife founder Adrian Puljich, MA Financial Managing Director Drew Bowie and Graya founder Andrew Gray.  While each panellist approached the discussion from different parts of the property industry, several common themes quickly emerged.

Planning certainty was repeatedly identified as one of the biggest factors affecting investment confidence.  Developers said project delays now represent one of the greatest financial risks facing the industry, with extended approval timeframes often proving more costly than construction itself.

“Timing is your biggest risk,” Michael McNab, Founder, McNab said.

The conversation also explored construction productivity, with panellists acknowledging the industry has been slow to modernise compared with other sectors. Artificial intelligence, robotics, improved project management and greater investment in workforce training were all identified as essential if the industry hopes to meet future demand.   There was also discussion around using offshore support teams for drafting, design and administration to improve efficiency, allowing Australian teams to focus on specialist work while maintaining local employment.

Trust remains the industry’s greatest asset

As the discussion shifted towards leadership and business growth, one message resonated strongly across the panel.  In a competitive market where buyers have more choice than ever before, trust has become one of the industry’s most valuable commodities.

Developers said delivering projects on time, communicating honestly and continuing to support buyers after settlement ultimately builds stronger businesses than aggressive marketing campaigns.

“Trust in the market is probably the number one and it takes quite a while to build that trust,” Drew Bowie, Managing Director, MA Financial said.

The session concluded with discussion around workplace culture, attracting the next generation into construction and ensuring South East Queensland has the skilled workforce needed to capitalise on the opportunities leading into Brisbane 2032.

A city preparing for its next chapter

If there was one consistent message to emerge from the Chamber’s Property Forum, it was that the Gold Coast is entering a defining period in its history.  The city’s economy continues to expand, investment remains strong and demand shows little sign of slowing.  But unlocking the next phase of growth will depend on more than cranes on the skyline.  It will require faster planning decisions, greater housing diversity, sustained infrastructure investment, improved construction productivity and stronger collaboration between government and industry.

For the more than 300 attendees who packed the sold-out event, the afternoon provided not only an insight into where the Gold Coast is heading, but also a reminder that the decisions made over the next few years will shape the city for decades to come.

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