For decades, we have assumed that ambition, opportunity and prosperity are concentrated in our capital cities. But what if the opposite is now true? What if the solution to our housing crisis, our productivity challenge and our generational anxiety lies in regional Australia?

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Young Australians certainly think it might.

Almost half of Gen Z Australians aged 18 to 29 years say they would consider moving out of the city.

That figure now surpasses Millennials, who have led the regional shift in recent years. Their reasons are strikingly consistent: affordability, opportunity and quality of life.

They are looking for somewhere they can get ahead financially. Somewhere home ownership is more attainable. Somewhere they can build meaningful careers without sacrificing proximity to nature, green space and community.

Now, this comes as no surprise to me. I call the regions home. In my local area it's a short walk or drive between retail and commerce, national parks, and gorgeous water ways. Returning to the regions was a long-held dream. A place to raise my family while continuing a national career, contributing to work that matters. But perhaps equally as important to us was sense of community.

The future Gen Z see for themselves in the regions today was not possible when I returned home, fresh out of university and newly appointed as the inaugural director of the Deni Ute Muster. Despite the great success of that event, I knew that if I wanted the career I planned for, I needed to head to the city. And, like many regional Australians before me, I did.

Fast forward 25 years and the landscape has changed. Today, I can live in regional Australia, stay connected to my roots, and continue my role as CEO of Australia's only think tank dedicated to advancing regional prosperity. I am living proof that meaningful, senior careers no longer must be tied to a capital city postcode.

And Gen Z can see that future for themselves too and this is welcome news.

RAI's "Beyond City Limits" research report challenged the long-held myth that working in regional Australia means taking a pay cut.........

© Canberra Times