Upper Lachlan
Indicator: Population
Results for this indicator are also available for [an error occurred while processing this directive]
What the results tell us for Upper Lachlan
The Upper Lachlan Shire has experienced a relatively stable population over the reporting period. According to the 2006 Census there were 7,347 residents in the Shire with an estimated 7,329 in 2007. Since the end of the previous State of the Environment Reporting period, the population of the Shire is estimated to have increased by 0.2% or 47 persons.
Compared with New South Wales (NSW) as a whole, Upper Lachlan Shire has a higher aged population, a lower Indigenous population and a small increase in the proportion of persons born overseas. Along with many other jurisdictions in Australia, Upper Lachlan 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. Upper Lachlan’s Social and Community Plan is committed to addressing these issues.
Population is stable in number but growing in age
The population in Upper Lachlan Shire was 7,347 at the 2006 Census (Table 1). Based on the latest available Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures (2008), it can be seen that the population rose by 47 persons since 2004. This represents an annual average rate of growth of 0.5% for the period, compared with 0.7% average for the Australian Capital Region for the period, and 0.8% for NSW. Compared with all local government areas across the state, the Shire ranked 112 out of 149 for the fastest growth and 111 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7,282 | 7,274 | 7,347 | 7,329 | 47 (0.2% 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, Upper Lachlan Shire, 2004 to 2007
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Catalogue No. 3218.0 (2008)
Since the 2004 report the Upper Lachlan Shire has experienced a largely static population with only a small increase in population (0.2%). Examining this in the context of the age profile, it can be seen that the trend of decreasing youth noted in the last report has continued in this reporting period, falling 1.8% since 2001 and 2.8% in the 10 year period since 1996. The ‘middle’ age group also decreased but only by 0.6% (1996-2006). The proportion of the population aged 65+ increased by 1%.
For the whole of the state of NSW over the 1996-2006 period, a fall of 1.6% was observed for the under 15 age group, a 0.5% increase in the ‘middle’ age group and a 1.1% increase in the over 65 age bracket. Comparing these variations to those in the Upper Lachlan Shire it can be seen that similarities are evident, with the Shire experiencing a higher reduction in the youth age bracket than the state.
The median age as at 2006 was 43 years in Upper Lachlan Shire compared with the state median of 37 years. In 2001 the median was 41 with 35 for the state, and in 1996, 38 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 and will have resultant impacts on the Shire’s healthcare, social, economic and transport needs into the future.
| Age | 1996 | 2001 | 2006 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| <15 years | 1,561 | 23.5 | 1,521 | 22.5 | 1,415 | 20.7 |
| 15–64 years | 4,126 | 62.0 | 4,100 | 60.7 | 4,202 | 61.4 |
| 65+ years | 966 | 14.5 | 1,128 | 16.7 | 1,222 | 17.9 |
| Totals | 6,653 | 100 | 6,749 | 100 | 6,839 | 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
Upper Lachlan Shire’s population as at the 2006 Census was an even split 50% male and 50% female. Compared with the gender distribution for NSW (49.3% males to 50.7% females), the equality in the Shire’s population is unique when compared to 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 Shire and NSW respectively.
Figure 2. Age and sex distribution, Upper Lachlan Shire, 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 91.5% of Upper Lachlan Shire’s non-Indigenous residents were born in Australia, compared with 92.3% in 2001 and 93.4% 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 Shire has increased since the last report to 1.5% from 1.0% in 2001 and 0.9% in 1996. This remains a lower percentage compared with the rest of the state (2.2%) in 2006. The ‘Born overseas’ group has increased by 0.3% to 7.0% in the 2006 Census from 6.7% 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 | 60 | 0.9 | 67 | 1.0 | 96 | 1.5 |
| Born in Australia | 6,112 | 93.4 | 6,006 | 92.3 | 5,886 | 91.5 |
| Born overseas (a) | 374 | 5.7 | 433 | 6.7 | 450 | 7.0 |
| Total | 6,546 | 100 | 6,506 | 100 | 6,432 | 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, 69.4% of Shire residents lived in one-family households consisting of 29.2% couples with children, 31.5% couples with no children and 7.8% were one-parent families. About 24.3% 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 7.6% since the 1996 Census whereas the percentage of households occupied by ‘Couple family without children’ rose by 2.8%. This also mirrors the trend observed in the state as a whole where a fall of 4.1% and rise of 0.5% respectively has occurred. The Social Plan should explore these patterns further and identify whether there are emerging social planning issues for the Shire.
| Household composition | 1996 Census | 2001 Census | 2006 Census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwellings | % | Dwellings | % | Dwellings | % | |
| One family household: | ||||||
| Couple family with children | 922 | 36.8 | 874 | 33.2 | 808 | 29.2 |
| Couple family without children | 719 | 28.7 | 789 | 30.0 | 869 | 31.5 |
| One parent family | 191 | 7.6 | 202 | 7.7 | 216 | 7.8 |
| Other family | 31 | 1.2 | 28 | 1.0 | 25 | 0.9 |
| Total | 1,863 | 74.3 | 1,893 | 71.9 | 1,918 | 69.4 |
| Miscellaneous households: | ||||||
| Group household | 34 | 1.4 | 37 | 1.4 | 42 | 1.5 |
| Lone person household | 563 | 22.5 | 594 | 22.6 | 672 | 24.3 |
| Other household (c) | 47 | 1.9 | 107 | 4.1 | 130 | 4.7 |
| Total | 2,507 | 100 | 2,631 | 100 | 2,762 | 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 agriculture, forestry and fishing sector is the highest employer as at the 2006 census at 31.4% although falling 5.6% since the 2001 census. This fall is attributable to the affects of the drought in this region and the importance of this sector to employment levels in the Shire. The state as a whole also experienced a fall in employment in this sector of 0.7%.
The health care and social assistance sector represented 9.8% of the workforce in 2006 which is also the sector with the largest increase (2%) since 2001. This concords with the growth in this sector for the state as a whole of 1.2% indicating the Upper Lachlan Shire is acquiring a part of this growth. The Public administration and safety sector also rose 2.1% since 2001 with a 6% rise occurring for the state as a whole.
| Industry of employment (a) | 1996 Census | 2001 Census | 2006 Census | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persons | % | Persons | % | Persons | % | |
| Agriculture, forestry & fishing | 1,087 | 38.2 | 1,124 | 37.0 | 979 | 31.4 |
| Mining | 6 | 0.2 | 4 | 0.1 | 9 | 0.3 |
| Manufacturing | 101 | 3.5 | 134 | 4.4 | 117 | 3.8 |
| Electricity, gas, water & waste services | 22 | 0.8 | 19 | 0.6 | 27 | 0.9 |
| Construction | 119 | 4.2 | 159 | 5.2 | 216 | 6.9 |
| Wholesale trade | 97 | 3.4 | 101 | 3.3 | 65 | 2.1 |
| Retail trade | 175 | 6.1 | 187 | 6.2 | 228 | 7.3 |
| Accommodation & food services | 114 | 4.0 | 123 | 4.0 | 152 | 4.9 |
| Transport, postal & warehousing | 103 | 3.6 | 97 | 3.2 | 109 | 3.5 |
| Information media & telecommunications | 52 | 1.8 | 40 | 1.3 | 37 | 1.2 |
| Financial & insurance services | 40 | 1.4 | 37 | 1.2 | 27 | 0.9 |
| Rental, hiring & real estate services | 10 | 0.3 | 30 | 1.0 | 22 | 0.7 |
| Professional, scientific & technical services | 64 | 2.2 | 102 | 3.4 | 132 | 4.3 |
| Administrative & support services | 34 | 1.2 | 35 | 1.1 | 34 | 1.1 |
| Public administration & safety | 222 | 7.8 | 209 | 6.9 | 280 | 9.0 |
| Education & training | 171 | 6.0 | 180 | 5.9 | 187 | 6.0 |
| Health care & social assistance | 199 | 7.0 | 237 | 7.8 | 305 | 9.8 |
| Arts & recreation services | 16 | 0.6 | 33 | 1.1 | 28 | 0.9 |
| Other services | 101 | 3.6 | 106 | 3.5 | 88 | 2.8 |
| Inadequately described/Not stated | 111 | 3.9 | 78 | 2.6 | 73 | 2.3 |
| Total | 2,844 | 100 | 3,035 | 100 | 3,115 | 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 Upper Lachlan Shire as at 30 June 2006 was $372 per week compared with $460 for NSW, and the Median Household Income was $725 ($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 Upper Lachlan Shire: 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.
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/
