Queanbeyan
Indicator: Population
Results for this indicator are also available for [an error occurred while processing this directive]
What the results tell us for Queanbeyan
The population of the Queanbeyan City Council area remains relatively static with only a small percentage fall in growth observed. According to the 2006 Census there were 37,885 residents in the shire with an estimated 38,593 in 2007. Since the end of the previous State of the Environment Reporting period, the population of the City Council is estimated to have fallen by 1.8% or 2,315 persons.
Compared with New South Wales (NSW), Queanbeyan City Council area has a younger population, a slightly higher Indigenous population and a small decrease in the proportion of persons born overseas which is in contract to the slight increase for the State as a whole. Along with many other jurisdictions in Australia, Queanbeyan City Council area will need to consider the impacts in the future of an ageing population on its economy and infrastructure.
The composition of households has continued the trend noted in the 2004 Regional State of the Evironment Report (RSoER) 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 and the state.
Population is growing in number and ageing slowly
The population in Queanbeyan City Council area was 37,885 at the 2006 Census (Table 1). Based on the latest available ABS figures (2008), it can be seen that the population rose by 2,315 since 2004. This represents an annual average rate of growth of 1.8% for the period, compared with 0.7% average for the Australian Capital Region for the period, and 0.8% for NSW as a whole. Compared with all local government areas across the State, the City Council area ranked 14 out of 149 for the fastest growth and 40 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36,278 | 37,114 | 37,885 | 38,593 | 2,315 (1.8% 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, Queanbeyan City Council area, 2004 to 2007
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Catalogue No. 3218.0 (2008)
Since the 2004 RSoER Queanbeyan City Council area has experienced an increase in population but the population demographic is continuing the trend of decreasing youth and increasing middle and older persons. The decreasing youth population was noted in the last RSoER but the decrease has increased by 0.8% since 2001 and 1.0% compared to the 1996 level. The proportion of “middle” age group remained static over the 1996-06 period as opposed to the increase of 0.9% in the earlier 10 year period. The proportion of the population aged 65+ increased by 1.0% compared with the 0.8% increase during the earlier period. The median age as at 2006 was 34 years in Queanbeyan City Council area compared with the state median of 37 years. In 2001 the median was 40 with 35 for the state, and in 1996, 37 and 34 years respectively. Percentages and figures are illustrated in Table 2.
These trends are similar to those evident in other shires in the Region yet of a lower magnitude. Queanbeyan City Council area is one of the few with a lower median age than the state.
| Age | 1996 | 2001 | 2006 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| <15 years | 6,500 | 22.9 | 7,377 | 22.7 | 7,917 | 21.9 |
| 15–64 years | 19,640 | 69.1 | 22,225 | 68.5 | 25,058 | 69.1 |
| 65+ years | 2,293 | 8.0 | 2,862 | 8.8 | 3,273 | 9.0 |
| Totals | 28,433 | 100 | 32,464 | 100 | 36,248 | 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
Queanbeyan City Council area’s population as at the 2006 Census was split 50.3% male and 49.7% female. Compared with the gender distribution for NSW (49.3% males to 50.7% females), the City Council area’s population mirrors the trend observed in the state and other Council areas. 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, Queanbeyan City Council Area, 2006
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2006 Time Series Profile Catalogue No. 2003.0
Figure 3. Age and sex distribution, NSW, 2006
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2006 Time Series Profile Catalogue No. 2003.0
Origins
In 2006 79.3% of Queanbeyan City Council’s non-Indigenous residents were born in Australia, compared with 78.9% in 2001 and 77.8% in 1996 (Table 3). In comparison, NSW has also experienced a drop of about 1% between Censuses (1996, 2001, 2006). The proportion of Indigenous population for the City Council area has increased since the last report to 2.8% from 2.6% in 2001 and 2.5% in 1996. This remains a higher percentage compared with the rest of the state (2.2%) in 2006. The “Born overseas” group has reduced by 0.6% to 17.9% in the 2006 Census from 18.5% in 2001 compared with the gradual increase (0.65%) in proportion experienced by NSW as a whole.
| Origin | 1996 Census | 2001 Census | 2006 Census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| Indigenous persons | 704 | 2.5 | 819 | 2.6 | 956 | 2.8 |
| Born in Australia | 21,714 | 77.8 | 24,663 | 78.9 | 27,256 | 79.3 |
| Born overseas (a) | 5,494 | 19.7 | 5,763 | 18.5 | 6,157 | 17.9 |
| Total | 27,912 | 100 | 31,245 | 100 | 34,369 | 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, 65.6% of City Council area’s residents lived in one-family households consisting of 32.7% couples with children, 21.2% couples with no children and 10.7% were one-parent families. About 25.5% 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 1.3% since the 1996 Census whereas the percentage of households occupied by “Couple family without children” rose by 1.6%. These trends are evident in most other councils in the region also and across the state as a whole. However the proportion of lone person households has fallen 1.1% since the 2001 census yet the real numbers have risen (3,570 in 2006 compared to 3,351 in 2001). The fall in percentage is reflective of the increasing population over this period.
| Household composition | 1996 Census | 2001 Census | 2006 Census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwellings | % | Dwellings | % | Dwellings | % | |
| One family household: | ||||||
| Couple family with children | 3,717 | 34.0 | 4,179 | 33.5 | 4,572 | 32.7 |
| Couple family without children | 2,256 | 20.6 | 2,589 | 20.8 | 2,975 | 21.2 |
| One parent family | 1,091 | 10.0 | 1,329 | 10.7 | 1,497 | 10.7 |
| Other family | 124 | 1.1 | 140 | 1.1 | 134 | 1.0 |
| Total | 7,188 | 65.7 | 8,237 | 66.1 | 9,178 | 65.6 |
| Miscellaneous households: | ||||||
| Group household | 371 | 3.4 | 333 | 2.7 | 381 | 2.7 |
| Lone person household | 3,067 | 28.0 | 3,351 | 26.9 | 3,570 | 25.5 |
| Other household (c) | 320 | 2.9 | 550 | 4.4 | 870 | 6.2 |
| Total | 10,946 | 100 | 12,471 | 100 | 13,999 | 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 public administration and safety sector is by far the highest employer as at the 2006 census at 24.8% increasing by 5% since the 2001 census. With this sector representing 6.0% for the state, this indicates that Queanbeyan City Council area is a major employer for this sector.
The retail trade sector is the next highest employer with 9.9% in 2006, although a fall of 1.3% since 2001 is comparable with 1996. The health care and social assistance sector represented 8.3% of the workforce in 2006 which is an increase of 0.9% since 2001 and compares with 10.5% for the state.
The wholesale trade sector has had the largest decrease with the number of persons employed in that sector falling from 667 in the 2001 census to 559 persons or 1.3% in 2006 and from 782 or 1.9% compared to the 1996 census.
| Industry of employment (a) | 1996 Census | 2001 Census | 2006 Census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persons | % | Persons | % | Persons | % | |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 89 | 0.7 | 110 | 0.7 | 76 | 0.4 |
| Mining | 38 | 0.3 | 11 | 0.1 | 15 | 0.1 |
| Manufacturing | 1,002 | 7.4 | 1,229 | 7.7 | 1,256 | 6.6 |
| Electricity, gas, water and waste services | 115 | 0.8 | 183 | 1.1 | 234 | 1.2 |
| Construction | 1,144 | 8.4 | 1,310 | 8.2 | 1,731 | 9.1 |
| Wholesale trade | 782 | 5.8 | 667 | 4.2 | 559 | 2.9 |
| Retail trade | 1,349 | 9.9 | 1,778 | 11.2 | 1,870 | 9.9 |
| Accommodation and food services | 823 | 6.1 | 960 | 6.0 | 1,019 | 5.4 |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | 675 | 5.0 | 713 | 4.5 | 814 | 4.3 |
| Information media and telecommunications | 398 | 2.9 | 426 | 2.7 | 320 | 1.7 |
| Financial and insurance services | 304 | 2.2 | 287 | 1.8 | 323 | 1.7 |
| Rental, hiring and real estate services | 231 | 1.7 | 317 | 2.0 | 305 | 1.6 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 652 | 4.8 | 935 | 5.9 | 1,156 | 6.1 |
| Administrative and support services | 539 | 4.0 | 722 | 4.5 | 616 | 3.2 |
| Public administration and safety | 2,491 | 18.4 | 3,017 | 18.9 | 4,558 | 24.0 |
| Education and training | 727 | 5.4 | 832 | 5.2 | 1,054 | 5.6 |
| Health care and social assistance | 873 | 6.4 | 1,177 | 7.4 | 1,570 | 8.3 |
| Arts and recreation services | 283 | 2.1 | 219 | 1.4 | 264 | 1.4 |
| Other services | 698 | 5.1 | 725 | 4.5 | 773 | 4.1 |
| Inadequately described/Not stated | 338 | 2.5 | 314 | 2.0 | 457 | 2.4 |
| Total | 13,551 | 100 | 15,932 | 100 | 18,970 | 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 the Queanbeyan City Council area as at 30 June 2006 was $641 per week compared with $460 for NSW, and the median household income was $1,180 ($1,034 for the state). This is likely due to the high proportion of employment in the public administration and safety sector.
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 Queanbeyan City 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/
