Goulburn Mulwaree
Indicator: Population
Results for this indicator are also available for [an error occurred while processing this directive]
What the results tell us for Goulburn Mulwaree
Goulburn Mulwaree Council area experienced a small percentage in growth over the reporting period. According to the 2006 Census there were 27,277 residents in the Council area with an estimated 27,327 in 2007. Since the end of the previous 2004 State of the Environment Reporting period, the population of the Council area is estimated to have increased by 0.4% or 384 persons.
Compared with New South Wales (NSW) as a whole, Goulburn Mulwaree Council area has a higher aged population, a comparative Indigenous population and a small increase in the proportion of persons born overseas which is similar to the level observed for the State as a whole. Along with many other jurisdictions in Australia, Goulburn Mulwaree Council will need to consider the impacts of an ageing population on its economy, and infrastructure.
The composition of households has continued the trend noted in the 2004 report with a further reduction in the number of households comprising couples with children and a consequent increase in couples without children and also lone person households. These are similar to trends observed in other councils. Goulburn Mulwaree’s Community Plan is committed to addressing these issues.
Population is growing in number and age
The population in Goulburn Mulwaree Council area was 27,327 at the 2006 Census (Table 1). Based on the latest available ABS figures (2008), it can be seen that the population rose by 384 since 2004. This represents an annual average rate of growth of 0.4% for the period, compared with 0.7% average for the Australian Capital Region for the period, and 0.8% for New South Wales as a whole. Compared with all local government areas across the state, the Council area ranked 97 out of 149 for the fastest growth and 88 out of 152 for the largest growth. Figure 1 illustrates the population for the years 2004 to 2007, showing the annual estimated residential population at 30 June for each year.
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | Population Change2004-2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26,943 | 27,082 | 27,277 | 27,327 | 384 (0.4% p.a.) |
See About the data for Australian Bureau of Statistics comments on years 2001-2007; Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Catalogue No. 3218.0 (2008)
Figure 1. Population growth, Goulburn Mulwaree Council area, 2004 to 2007
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Catalogue No. 3218.0 (2008)
Since the 2004 report the Council area has experienced a relatively small growth in population but this needs to be examined in the context of the age profile. As stated in the previous report, the trend of decreasing youth and more aged people has continued. The percentage of “under 15’s” in the population dropped by 3.6% in the period 1996 to 2006 compared with a drop of 3.5% from 1986 to 1996. The “middle” age group decreased by 0.9% (1996-06) as opposed to the increase of 0.1% in the earlier 10 year period. The proportion of the population aged 65+ increased by 2.7% compared with the 1.3% increase during the earlier period. The median age as at 2006 was 47 years in Goulburn Mulwaree Council compared with the State median of 37 years. In 2001 the median was 44 with 35 for the State, and in 1996, 42 and 34 years respectively. Percentages and figures are illustrated in Table 2.
These trends are similar to those evident in other Councils in the Region and will have resultant impacts on the Council’s healthcare, social, economic and transport needs into the future.
| Age | 1996 | 2001 | 2006 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| <15 years | 5,826 | 22.6 | 5,546 | 20.9 | 5,121 | 19.0 |
| 15–64 years | 16,868 | 65.4 | 17,396 | 65.5 | 17,887 | 66.3 |
| 65+ years | 3,085 | 12.0 | 3,616 | 13.6 | 3,954 | 14.7 |
| Totals | 25,779 | 100 | 26,558 | 100 | 26,962 | 100 |
See About the data for Australian Bureau of Statistics comments on this table; Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2006 Time Series Profile Catalogue No. 2003.0
Ethnicity and diversity
Gender
Goulburn Mulwaree Council area’s population as at the 2006 Census was split 51.39% male and 48.61% female. Compared with the gender distribution for NSW (49.3% males to 50.7% females), the Council area’s population reverses the trend observed in the state and other Councils. See Figures 2 and 3 for a comparison of the gender and age distribution for the Council area and NSW respectively.
Figure 2. Age and sex distribution, Goulburn Mulwaree Council area, 2006
Source of data: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2006 Time Series Profile Catalogue No. 2003.0
Figure 3. Age and sex distribution, New South Wales, 2006
Source of data: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2006 Time Series Profile Catalogue No. 2003.0
Origins
In 2006 89.5% of Goulburn Mulwaree Council area’s non-Indigenous residents were born in Australia, compared with 90.3% in 2001 and 91.0% in 1996 (Table 3). By comparison, NSW has experienced a drop of about 1% between Censuses (1996, 2001, 2006). The proportion of indigenous population for the Council area has increased since the last report to 2.2% from 1.8% in 2001 and 1.4% in 1996. This remains a higher percentage compared with the rest of the state (2.2%) in 2006. The “Born overseas” group has increased by 0.4% to 8.3% in the 2006 Census from 7.9% in 2001 compared with the gradual increase (0.65%) in proportion experienced by NSW.
| Origin | 1996 Census | 2001 Census | 2006 Census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| Indigenous persons | 358 | 1.4 | 445 | 1.8 | 577 | 2.2 |
| Born in Australia | 22,804 | 91.0 | 22,285 | 90.3 | 23,120 | 89.5 |
| Born overseas (a) | 1,885 | 7.5 | 1,952 | 7.9 | 2,135 | 8.3 |
| Total | 25,047 | 100 | 24,682 | 100 | 25,832 | 100 |
See About the data for notes on (a); Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2006 Time Series Profile Catalogue No. 2003.0
Households and family type
In 2006, 66.1% of Council residents lived in one-family households consisting of 27.3% couples with children, 26.4% couples with no children and 11.4% were one-parent families. About 26.7% of the population consisted of lone person households. (Table 4). The group with the most significant percentage drop was the “Couple family with children” group, having fallen by 6.6% since the 1996 Census whereas the percentage of households occupied by “Couple family without children” rose by 2.4%. This trend is reflected in other councils and in NSW. The Goulburn Mulwaree Council Social Plan should explore these patterns further and identify whether there are emerging social planning issues for the Council.
| Household composition | 1996 Census | 2001 Census | 2006 Census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwellings | % | Dwellings | % | Dwellings | % | |
| One family household: | ||||||
| Couple family with children | 3,118 | 33.9 | 2,848 | 28.5 | 2,788 | 27.3 |
| Couple family without children | 2,184 | 23.8 | 2,525 | 25.3 | 2,697 | 26.4 |
| One parent family | 1,042 | 11.3 | 1,159 | 11.6 | 1,167 | 11.4 |
| Other family | 118 | 1.3 | 92 | 0.9 | 87 | 0.9 |
| Total | 6,462 | 70.3 | 6,624 | 66.3 | 6,739 | 66.1 |
| Miscellaneous households: | ||||||
| Group household | 240 | 2.6 | 223 | 2.2 | 256 | 2.5 |
| Lone person household | 2,250 | 24.5 | 2,440 | 24.4 | 2,723 | 26.7 |
| Other household (c) | 235 | 2.6 | 702 | 7.0 | 481 | 4.7 |
| Total | 9,187 | 100 | 9,989 | 100 | 10,199 | 100 |
For notes on (a), (b) and (c) see About the data;
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2006 Time Series Profile, Catalogue No. 2003.0
Where people are working and what they are earning
The retail trade sector is the highest employer as at the 2006 census at 13.1% having risen 1.1% since 2001. This mirrors the state as a whole as the leading employer at 11.1%. However the health care and social assistance sector represented 13.0% of the workforce in the Council area in 2001 and has stayed at this level in 2006. At the state level this sector is also the second highest employer at 10.5%.
Employment in the public administration and safety sector represents the third highest employer at 11.3% in 2006, an increase of 1.4% since 2001.
Employment in the wholesale trade sector has dropped by almost 50% from 6.1% to 3.1% 2001 to 2006 respectively as has the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector from 5.8% in 2001 to 3.9% in 2006 compared with falls of 0.6% and 0.7% respectively for the state as a whole. This indicates the sensitivity of this region to adverse conditions in these sectors.
| Industry of employment (a) | 1996 Census | 2001 Census | 2006 Census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persons | % | Persons | % | Persons | % | |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 492 | 4.4 | 623 | 5.8 | 440 | 3.9 |
| Mining | 221 | 2.0 | 92 | 0.9 | 62 | 0.5 |
| Manufacturing | 1,112 | 10.1 | 963 | 9.0 | 847 | 7.6 |
| Electricity, gas, water and waste services | 194 | 1.8 | 96 | 0.9 | 136 | 1.2 |
| Construction | 536 | 4.8 | 609 | 5.7 | 765 | 6.8 |
| Wholesale trade | 486 | 4.4 | 657 | 6.1 | 349 | 3.1 |
| Retail trade | 1,127 | 10.2 | 1,282 | 12.0 | 1,467 | 13.1 |
| Accommodation and food services | 842 | 7.6 | 910 | 8.5 | 1,017 | 9.1 |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | 827 | 7.5 | 640 | 6.0 | 766 | 6.8 |
| Information media and telecommunications | 312 | 2.8 | 159 | 1.58 | 132 | 1.2 |
| Financial and insurance services | 179 | 1.6 | 135 | 1.3 | 181 | 1.6 |
| Rental, hiring and real estate services | 133 | 1.2 | 135 | 1.3 | 142 | 1.3 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 330 | 3.0 | 326 | 3.0 | 407 | 3.6 |
| Administrative and support services | 174 | 1.6 | 215 | 2.0 | 227 | 2.0 |
| Public administration and safety | 1,315 | 11.9 | 1,063 | 9.9 | 1,267 | 11.3 |
| Education and training | 683 | 6.2 | 718 | 6.7 | 817 | 7.3 |
| Health care and social assistance | 1,365 | 12.3 | 1,394 | 13.0 | 1,455 | 13.0 |
| Arts and recreation services | 57 | 0.5 | 83 | 0.8 | 105 | 0.9 |
| Other services | 406 | 3.7 | 398 | 3.7 | 405 | 3.6 |
| Inadequately described/Not stated | 264 | 2.4 | 215 | 2.0 | 203 | 1.8 |
| Total | 11,055 | 100 | 10,713 | 100 | 11,190 | 100 |
For notes on (a) see About the data;
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2006 Time Series Profile, Catalogue No. 2003.0
The median individual income for Goulburn Mulwaree Council area as at 30 June 2006 was $402 per week compared with $460 for NSW, and the median household income was $842 ($1,034 for the state).
About the data
Data for this indicator were sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics
Data for Table 1— Estimated Residential Population Australian Bureau of Statistics Catalogue No. 3218.0. Years 2004-2006 are preliminary rebased figures, whereas 2007 figures are preliminary. The figure for 2004 was only preliminary at the time of writing the 2004 State of the Environment Report, therefore it has now been revised. As explained in the Extract from Explanatory Notes, Australian Bureau of Statistics—Catalogue No. 3218.0 (2008), ‘To meet the conflicting demands for accuracy and timeliness there are several versions of sub-state/territory population estimates. Preliminary estimates are normally available nine months after the reference date (i.e. March), revised estimates twelve months later and rebased and final estimates after the following census.' Estimated population is preliminary rebased for 2002 to 2006, based on results of the 2006 Census of Population and Housing, and preliminary for 2007. At the time of writing, final 2006 Census-based estimates for 2002 to 2006, together with the first revision of 2007 were not yet available.
Data for Table 2 – Selected Person Characteristics: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Time Series Profile (T01), Catalogue No. 2003.0, Commonwealth of Australia, 2006.
Data for Table 3 – Selected Person Characteristics: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Time Series Profile (T01), Catalogue No. 2003.0, Commonwealth of Australia, 2006, (a) Includes 'Australian External Territories', 'Inadequately described', 'At sea' and 'Not elsewhere classified'.
Data for Table 4 —Dwelling Structure by Household Composition and Family Composition: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Time Series Profile (T14), Catalogue No. 2003.0, Commonwealth of Australia, 2006 (a) The 'Household Composition' variable replaced 'Household Type', which was used in 1996 and 2001; (b) The 'Family Composition' variable replaced 'Family Type', which was used in 1996 and 2001; (c) Comprises 'Visitors only' and 'Other not classifiable' households.
Data for Table 5 — Industry types in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Area: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Time Series Profile (T25), Catalogue No. 2003.0, Commonwealth of Australia, 2006. (a) Industry of employment was coded to the 2006 Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) edition. This has replaced the 1993 ANZSIC edition. Data for 1996 and 2001 have been concorded.
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2007) Regional Population Growth, Australia, 1996 to 2006, Catalogue No. 3218.0 — ‘Estimated Residential Population—30 June ', Commonwealth of Australia, http://www.abs.gov.au/
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008) Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2006-07, Catalogue No. 3218.0 — ‘Population Estimates by Local Government Area, 2001 to 2007 — 30 June', Commonwealth of Australia, http://www.abs.gov.au/
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006) Time Series Profile, Catalogue No. 2003.0, Commonwealth of Australia, http://www.abs.gov.au/
