Moreton Bay Infrastructure Projects, QLD

Moreton Bay combines a broad service economy with substantial industrial, health and transport activity

Economic base

Moreton Bay has a broad urban and service economy rather than a single dominant industry. In the 2021 Census, health care and social assistance accounted for 16.1% of employed residents, construction 10.7%, retail trade 10.1%, education and training 8.1%, public administration and safety 6.5%, accommodation and food services 6.2%, manufacturing 6.2% and transport, postal and warehousing 5.8%. Professional, scientific and technical services accounted for 5.7%. This mix combines population-serving activity with construction, manufacturing, logistics and business services.

The business base reinforces that breadth. In June 2025, Moreton Bay had 33,573 registered businesses, including 7,624 in construction, 4,173 in professional, scientific and technical services, 3,054 in transport, postal and warehousing, 2,793 in health care and social assistance, 2,284 in other services, 2,003 in retail and 1,483 in manufacturing. There were 13,871 employing businesses. These counts describe registered businesses, not workplace employment, but they indicate a substantial base across trades, logistics, services and production. The economy therefore has several channels through which construction activity and public-service demand can connect with local firms.

Project program

The council’s project work is concentrated across industrial, transport, school, health and civic activity under way. Proposed work extends the direction into transport, community and health activity, while completed work includes industrial, transport, school and retail activity. The largest active or proposed work is described as large-scale, with industrial, transport and civic work forming the largest kinds. This is a program with a strong physical-infrastructure and community-service orientation, alongside industrial activity.

Transport work is shared with other councils, so its relevance extends beyond the council boundary. Non-residential building work approved to proceed was valued at $727.3m in the 12 months to June 2026. That value was 0.63× the council’s own three-year average over the same comparison basis, placing recent non-residential approvals below that local benchmark. Together, the project direction and approvals measure point to continuing activity in industrial, civic, health, education and transport-related settings, with the recent value of approved non-residential building work below its own longer comparison level.

Economic connections

The clearest connection is between transport and the existing logistics, wholesale, manufacturing and construction base. Transport activity under way and proposed transport work align with a local economy in which transport, postal and warehousing represented 5.8% of employed residents and 3,054 registered businesses operated in that industry in June 2025. Industrial work also aligns with manufacturing, which accounted for 6.2% of employed residents and 1,483 registered businesses. These relationships support the view that access and industrial capacity are relevant economic mechanisms, although project activity itself is not local economic output.

Health, school, community and civic work aligns with the service demands of a large population-serving economy. Health care and social assistance was the largest recorded employment industry at 16.1% of employed residents, while education and training accounted for 8.1%. Health and school activity may add capacity around services that already employ many residents; community and civic work may support local access to public functions. Construction and non-residential approvals provide a channel for building activity, but the $727.3m approved in the 12 months to June 2026 should be read as the value of work approved to proceed, not as a measure of completed output or jobs.

Outlook

The near-term picture is shaped by the interaction of a broad economy, a sizeable project program and uneven approval measures. Industrial, transport, health, school and civic work is under way, with proposed transport, community and health work extending the program. The large scale attached to the largest active or proposed work gives the program materiality, while shared transport work links the council’s activity with neighbouring areas. Non-residential approvals were below the council’s own three-year average, so the direction of project work and the flow of new approvals are important indicators to follow together.

The main watch is whether the composition of activity continues to match the economy’s service, industrial and logistics needs. Building approvals, the labour market, population change, business counts and the mix of project work each describe a different part of that picture. Particular attention belongs on health, education, transport and industrial activity because those areas connect the council’s employment base with service capacity, freight access and construction demand. The distinction between active, proposed and completed work also matters: it separates current activity from future direction and from work already delivered.

For council and planning staff

The housing target requires 5,032 homes a year, and approvals were at 88% of the yearly pace needed over July 2021 to July 2026. That pace is below 100%, the on-pace mark. Moreton Bay’s estimated resident population was 532,445 in 2025, with population change of 10,951, or 2.1%. The components were natural increase of 1,934, net internal migration of 5,195 and net overseas migration of 3,822. These figures place housing delivery alongside continuing population change. Service capacity includes 8 open public and private hospitals, of which 2 are public, 284 approved centre-based childcare services and 27,700 approved childcare places as at 30 September 2026. At 30 June 2025, residential aged care comprised 41 homes and 4,324 places.

For buyers’ agents and investors

Housing tenure in 2021 comprised 37.9% owned with a mortgage, 28% owned outright and 31.1% rented. Average household size was 2.6 persons and median age was 39. A mobile population profile is reflected in the 52.2% who lived at a different address 5 years earlier. These figures describe the mix of households and movement through the local housing system, rather than a single household type. Median household income was $1,648 per week and median personal income was $761 per week in 2021. The labour force was 287,321 people in 2026-Q1, with 13,829 unemployed and an unemployment rate of 4.8%. New dwelling approvals in the 12 months to July 2026 comprised 4,715 houses and 2,010 townhouses, apartments and other dwellings.

For builders and developers

In the 12 months to July 2026, 6,725 dwellings were approved, including 4,715 houses and 2,010 townhouses, apartments and other dwellings. The total was 1.32× the council’s own three-year average. Residential building work approved, including new homes, alterations and additions, was valued at $3bn over the same period. These measures describe work approved to proceed and show both the total volume and the balance between houses and other dwelling forms. In June 2025, Moreton Bay had 7,624 registered construction businesses and 3,638 employing construction businesses. Construction accounted for 10.7% of employed residents in the 2021 Census. Non-residential building work approved in the 12 months to June 2026 was valued at $727.3m, or 0.63× the council’s own three-year average.

Key takeaways

• Moreton Bay’s economy is diversified across health care, construction, retail, education, manufacturing and transport, supported by 33,573 registered businesses and 13,871 employing businesses in June 2025.
• Project work is active across industrial, transport, school, health and civic activity, with proposed transport, community and health work and large-scale work among the largest active or proposed activity.
• Non-residential approvals were $727.3m in the 12 months to June 2026, equal to 0.63× the council’s own three-year average, while housing approvals were at 88% of the yearly pace required by the housing target over July 2021 to July 2026.

Sources

• Health care and social assistance — ABS Census 2021
• Registered businesses — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses
• Construction — ABS Census 2021
• Retail trade — ABS Census 2021
• Education and training — ABS Census 2021
• Public administration and safety — ABS Census 2021
• Accommodation and food services — ABS Census 2021
• Manufacturing — ABS Census 2021
• Transport, postal and warehousing — ABS Census 2021
• Professional, scientific and technical services — ABS Census 2021
• Registered businesses, Construction — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses
• Registered businesses, Professional, Scientific and Technical Services — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses
• Registered businesses, Transport, Postal and Warehousing — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses
• Registered businesses, Health Care and Social Assistance — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses
• Registered businesses, Other Services — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses
• Registered businesses, Retail Trade — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses
• Registered businesses, Manufacturing — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses
• Employing businesses — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses
• Non-residential building approvals, latest 12 months — ABS Building Approvals
• Non-residential building approvals versus this council's own three-year average, weighted by the value of those approvals — ABS Building Approvals
• Target: 125,800 more dwellings, 2021 to 2046 (5,032 a year) — ShapingSEQ 2023
• Dwellings approved since July 2021 against the yearly pace the housing target needs (100% is on pace) — ShapingSEQ 2023
• Estimated resident population — ABS Regional Population
• Open public and private hospitals — AIHW MyHospitals
• Approved childcare places — ACECQA national register
• Residential aged care places — AIHW GEN aged care
• Population change — ABS Regional Population
• Population change — ABS Regional Population
• Natural increase — ABS Regional Population
• Net internal migration — ABS Regional Population
• Net overseas migration — ABS Regional Population
• Public hospitals — AIHW MyHospitals
• Approved centre-based childcare services — ACECQA national register
• Residential aged care homes — AIHW GEN aged care
• Owned with a mortgage — ABS Census 2021
• Average household size — ABS Census 2021
• Unemployment rate — Small Area Labour Markets
• New houses approved, latest 12 months — ABS Building Approvals
• Owned outright — ABS Census 2021
• Rented — ABS Census 2021
• Median age — ABS Census 2021
• Lived at a different address 5 years ago — ABS Census 2021
• Median household income (weekly) — ABS Census 2021
• Median personal income (weekly) — ABS Census 2021
• Labour force — Small Area Labour Markets
• Unemployed persons — Small Area Labour Markets
• Townhouses, apartments and other dwellings approved, latest 12 months — ABS Building Approvals
• Dwellings approved, latest 12 months — ABS Building Approvals
• Dwellings approved versus this council's own three-year average — ABS Building Approvals
• Value of residential building work approved (new homes, alterations and additions), latest 12 months — ABS Building Approvals
• Employing businesses, Construction — ABS Counts of Australian Businesses