The rent price index in Australia in the first quarter of 2025 was 122.1, marking an increase from the same quarter of the previous year. Rent prices had decreased in 2020; in Melbourne and Sydney, this was mainly attributed to the absence of international students during the coronavirus outbreak. The current state of the rental market in Australia The rental market in Australia has been marked by varying conditions across different regions. Among the capital cities, Sydney has long been recognized for having some of the highest average rents. As of March 2025, the average weekly rent for a house in Sydney was 775 Australian dollars, which was the highest average rent across all major cities in Australia that year. Furthermore, due to factors like population growth and housing demand, regional areas have also seen noticeable increases in rental prices. For instance, households in the non-metropolitan area of New South Wales’ expenditure on rent was around 30 percent of their household income in the year ending June 2024. Housing affordability in Australia Housing affordability remains a significant challenge in Australia, contributing to a trend where many individuals and families rent for prolonged periods. The underlying cause of this issue is the ongoing disparity between household wages and housing costs, especially in large cities. While renting offers several advantages, it is worth noting that the associated costs may not always align with the expectation of affordability. Approximately one-third of participants in a recent survey stated that they pay between 16 and 30 percent of their monthly income on rent. Recent government initiatives, such as the 2024 Help to Buy scheme, aim to make it easier for people across Australia to get onto the property ladder. Still, the multifaceted nature of Australia’s housing affordability problem requires continued efforts to strike a balance between market dynamics and the need for accessible housing options for Australians.

In June 2025, retail property rent asking prices were forecasted to increase by around **** percent. The Commercial Property Asking Price Index tracks the monthly change in vendor sentiment towards commercial rental properties advertised in Australia.

Australia Consumer Price Index (CPI): Melbourne: Housing: Rents data was reported at 132.200 2011-2012=100 in Mar 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 130.600 2011-2012=100 for Dec 2024. Australia Consumer Price Index (CPI): Melbourne: Housing: Rents data is updated quarterly, averaging 65.700 2011-2012=100 from Sep 1972 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 211 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 132.200 2011-2012=100 in Mar 2025 and a record low of 10.600 2011-2012=100 in Sep 1972. Australia Consumer Price Index (CPI): Melbourne: Housing: Rents data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.I007: Consumer Price Index: 2011-12=100: Eight Capital Cities.

VPRS 13165 Index to Applications, Melbourne, Sections 19 & 20 and Section 49 Land Act 1869 (Occupation Branch) is the index created by the Occupation Branch in Melbourne. It was created to give officers access to applications and selection files which were created prior to the establishment of the Occupation Branch in 1874.

VPRS 13165 was previously registered as unit 3 of VPRS 451 Registers of Applications, Land Act 1869.

The introduction of the Land Act 1869 saw all Crown Land not previously occupied in Victoria opened up for selection. Provisions were made in section 42 of the Land Act 1865 for selection before survey. Prior to this time surveys were conducted on all Crown land before it was made available. The provision of free selection before survey was carried to the 1869 Act. The aim of the legislation was to encourage settlement on lands that would be most advantageous to the colony.

Under section 19 of the Land Act 1869 selectors could apply for a three-year licence to occupy Crown land. The rent was set at two shillings per acre and a maximum of 320 acres per selector was allowed. On application a deposit of half a years rent was paid. If the application was refused, the deposit was refunded. Section 20 of the Act placed conditions on the three-year licence; selectors were required to improve their allotment by the erection of fencing and a dwelling, cultivation of their land and the destruction of vermin and noxious weeds. After the licence term had expired, the selector was eligible to apply for a seven-year lease or a Crown Grant to purchase their allotment. Grants or leases were only approved if improvement conditions had been met. If a selector opted for a seven-year lease, the yearly rent was used to pay off the purchase price of the land.


Under section 49 of the Land Act 1869 selectors could apply for a licence to occupy and cultivate auriferous (gold field) land. The licence was for one year and the size of the land occupied was not to exceed 20 acres. The licence was renewable each year with the payment of a licence fee. A selector could not hold more than one licence under section 49 of the Land Act 1869.

The additional advantages provided to selectors as a result of the Land Act 1869 resulted in an exceptional number of applications to select Crown land. By 1873 the Department of Crown Lands and Survey (VA 538) was experiencing many problems in managing applications. Public complaints were at an all time high. The complaints ranged from extraordinarily long delays in application processing, applications being approved for more than one person on the same allotment and long delays in replying to correspondence.

When an application to select Crown land was received by the Department it would be registered in a register of applications. Prior to 1874 and the establishment of the Occupation Branch all applications made under section 19 and 20 and Section 49 of the Land Act 1869 were recorded in the same series of registers irrespective of location; see VPRS 12026 and VPRS 13128. The contents of registers of applications were arranged alphabetically by name of applicant and application numbers were allocated consecutively in blocks for each letter of the alphabet.

Separate registers of applications were usually created for each section of the Land Act under which individuals could apply to select land. For example, all applications received under section 19 of the Land Act 1869 were recorded in the same register. Sections of an Act that were less common were often recorded in the one register.

In an attempt to try and rationalise the way the Department managed Crown land, the Occupation Branch was established in 1874 under the influence of H Byron Moore, Assistant Surveyor General. The Occupation Branch was to deal with all matters relating to the occupation of Crown land.

The State was divided into fifteen Land Districts, these being Ararat, Ballarat, Beechworth, Benalla, Castlemaine and Dunolly, Echuca, Geelong Warrnambool and Camperdown, Hamilton, Horsham, Melbourne, Sale and Bairnsdale, Sandhurst (Bendigo), Seymour and St Arnaud. Each District was represented at the Occupation Branch in Melbourne by a District Land Office.

Each District Land Office consisted of a double table or desk at which both a clerk and draughtsman sat. Everything in the way of files, maps and plans were at convenient reach. The same officers dealt with the sale of Crown land from its inception to its disposition. The District Offices' staff consisted essentially of a clerical officer and a draughtsman who dealt solely with that Land District. It was their business to know the District and to deal with all land business related to it. By 1877 each District Land Office, consisted of a District Officer, a rental clerk, a draughtsman and several general clerks.

After the creation of the Occupation Branch, applications made under the Land Act 1869 that had been registered prior to 1874 (see VPRS 12026) were copied into Indexes. An Index was created for each Land District so the clerks of each new District Land Office in the Occupation Branch and officers of the District Survey Office could readily access the details of applications which had previously been registered and the selection files now found in VPRS 625.

The content of these District Indexes that recorded pre 1874 applications is arranged alphabetically but the application numbers are not consecutive. VPRS 13165 Index to Applications Melbourne, Sections 19 & 20 and section 49 Land Act 1869 (Occupation Branch) is the Index created for applications made prior to 1874 in the Melbourne District.

After the establishment of the Occupation Branch in 1874 and the division of the State into Land Districts, applications were registered by District. Each District Land Office created and maintained their own series of registers of applications. Any new applications received by the Department after 1874 were registered in separate District registers with application numbers that were allocated from the number one onwards. The same application number could be allocated for selections in different Districts. For example the application number 1021/19 could exist in both the Ballarat and Bendigo Land Districts, it is the District name plus the accompanying file number that is the unique identifier.

Applicants completed an Application for Licence under Part II of Land Act 1869 form at District Survey Offices. Most Land Districts had a District Survey Office. The District Surveyor would enter the applicants details in a register of applications kept at the District Survey Office. Each applicant was allocated a number from the register. The application number was written on the application to select and subsequently became their land selection file number if their application was approved.

The District Surveyor would enter into the application register the application number, the date the application was received, the applicants name, occupation and parish, the allotment number and size (acres, roods and perches) applied for. The application was then forwarded to the appropriate District Land Office at the Occupation Branch in Melbourne. It was then entered in a duplicate register of applications there against the same application number. The District Surveyor also forwarded a tracing of the allotment applied for.

The position of the allotment applied for was immediately charted on a working plan in pencil. The tracing was then sent to the Department of Mines and Water Supply (VA 2720) for a report on any mining objections. If there were no mining objections the application would be heard before a Local Land Board. Local Land Boards were made up of representatives from the local community and the Department of Crown Lands and Survey (VA 538). The Boards would hear from all applicants for an allotment and would decide who was to be granted the licence or lease. The schedule documenting the decisions of the Local Land Board was forwarded to the appropriate District Land Office at the Occupation Branch and the decision was entered into the register of applications.

The Board of Land and Works (VA 744), the statutory authority for the management of Crown land would give final approval for land selection, acting on the recommendation of the Local Land Board. The decision of the Board of Land and Works (VA 744) was then recorded in the register of applications. The registers also record the date of the licence issue and any subsequent action in relation to that file. The selectors granted each allotment would then be recorded on the working plan by the District Land Office draughtsman at the Occupation Branch. The tracing of the allotment was then sent to the Crown Land Bailiff responsible for that Land District.

From 1874 application registers were arranged by Land District and by section of Land Act applications were received under. For example, all applications received under section 19 of the Land Act 1869 for the Ballarat Land District were recorded in the same register. Sections of an Act that were less common were often recorded in the one District register.

Registers of applications control selection and occupation files. If an application to select Crown land was successful, the application number would become the file number. For example if an application to select under section 19 of the Land Act 1869 was registered as application number 324 then the selection or occupation file number would be 324/19.

The application number remained the selection file number for a particular piece of land if all terms and conditions were met and the selection resulted in a Crown Grant. However, often the original selector did not end up owning the land. Many selectors forfeited or abandoned their licence.