Premium Content Subscriber only Regional housing markets increased in value more than those in capital cities last year, sparking calls for governments to take a unified approach to supporting regional Queenslanders caught up in a dire rental shortage. The data was revealed in a University of Tasmania report compiled for the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute published Thursday. The report identifies migration to regional areas as most likely due to smaller cities being perceived as "safer" than major cities in a pandemic. "In fact, while values in cities decelerated as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, regional values have been growing at 5 per cent per annum, surpassing the growth rate in cities," lead report author Julia Verdouw said.