1362.3 - Regional Statistics, Queensland, 2002  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 21/11/2002   
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MEDIA RELEASE

November 21, 2002
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
164/2002
Regional Queensland at your fingertips

Everything you wanted to know about Regional Queensland is now available at your fingertips, with today's release of Regional Statistics Queensland 2002, by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The publication presents a statistical summary of key economic and social information for regional Queensland using ABS and non-ABS sources in an easy to read format.

Highlights in the publication include:
  • The Estimated Resident Population of Queensland increased by 296,400 people in the five years to June 2001. Over four-fifths (81.5%) of this increase was in the south-east corner of the state, predominately in Brisbane (up 74,000) and the Gold Coast (up 69,000). Over the same period, the populations of the mining areas of Duaringa and Mount Isa decreased by 1,600 and 1,200 respectively.
  • Redcliffe City was the most densely populated local government area in Queensland with 1,303.5 people per square kilometre in June 2001. Of the 125 local government areas in the state, 58 shires had less than 1 person per square kilometre.
  • Perry Shire experienced the state's greatest proportional increase (+13.1%) in population from June 2000 to June 2001. Burke (+6.7%) and Aurukun (+6.5%) Shires also experienced high growth rates. The greatest proportional decreases in population were experienced in the shires of Aramac (-4.1%), Quilpie (-3.9%) and Duaringa (-3.3%).
  • The Wide Bay-Burnett region experienced the state's highest unemployment rate in 2001 of 12.5%. The Darling Downs-South West region had the lowest with 4.4%.
  • Townsville had the largest number of new residential dwelling units approved outside the Brisbane and Moreton Statistical Divisions with 507 approvals in the year ended June 2001.
  • The highest wage and salary incomes in 1998-99 were reported in the local government areas of Broadsound ($51,162), Belyando ($48,779) and Peak Downs ($48,540). In the same period, Isisford Shire recorded the lowest average wage and salary income with $22,461. This is 25% below the Queensland average.
  • Queensland had a total 15,924 hospital beds (including bed alternatives) in 2000-01. Over half of all available hospital beds (8,650 beds or 54.3%) were located in facilities outside the Brisbane Statistical Division.
  • At the end of September 2001, 153 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) provided service for approximately 820,000 Internet subscribers, with more than half (56.1%) based in the Brisbane Statistical Division.

The publication contains tables of time-series data at the state and statistical division level as well as local government area data. Topics include demography/population estimates, births and deaths, schools and students, selected crime statistics, social security customers, and agriculture.

Data from the first release of the 2001 Census of Population and Housing and Labour Force surveys are presented in feature articles.

Further details are in Regional Statistics Queensland, 2002 (cat. no. 1362.3).

Media note: Individual local profile tables are available on request.