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The annual Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) publication ACT In Focus 2000 has just been released with a chapter highlighting statistics for the Australian Capital Region (ACR). The Australian Capital Region Development Council has been focusing on regional planning and economic development issues in the ACR.

The Region has a population of just over 500,000 people with a labour force of 259,300 people in 1998-99. It includes the ACT and the following Local Government Areas (LGAs): Bega Valley, Bombala, Boorowa, Cooma-Monaro, Crookwell, Eurobodalla, Goulburn, Gunning, Harden, Mulwaree, Queanbeyan, Snowy River, Tallaganda, Tumut, Yarrowlumla, Yass and Young.

The chapter on the Australian Capital Region presents an overview of the region and examines various aspects of its demographic, social and economic situation. It includes information on labour force movements; agriculture and forestry industry; the latest manufacturing details; tourism, and census of population and housing data.

Data is also published at Local Government Area (LGA) level on mean taxable income (Australian Tax Office data) and income support from the Department of Family and Community Services (DFACS).

Some of the highlights from the regional chapter include:

• The coastal and farming areas in the region recorded the highest numbers of social security customers at 30 June 1999. Of people aged 15 and over Eurobodalla (12,100) and Bega valley (8,900) were the areas with highest numbers. These areas also recorded the highest unemployment (Eurobodalla 15.6 per cent, Bega Valley 11.9 per cent), while Young recorded 10.5 per cent.
• Farming and coastal communities continue to be poorer on average with lower mean taxable incomes. The top four areas with the lowest mean taxable income in 1997-98 in the region were Crookwell ($25,500), Harden ($25,700), Eurobodalla ($25,900) and Young ($26,500). This compares to the average for the region of $34,500.
• The unemployment rate for the region decreased from 8.0 per cent in 1997-98 to 6.7 per cent for the year 1998-99, continuing to remain higher than the ACT's unemployment rate of 6.3 per cent for the same period.
• There were 63,275 dwellings that were fully owned in the region in 1996, an increase of 68 per cent from the 1986 figure of 37,562.
• The number of manufacturing establishments in the region increased to 800 in 1996-97, up 153 or 24 per cent on the 1993-94 figures. Of all manufacturing establishments 66 per cent were located in the areas outside the ACT with Queanbeyan, Bega Valley, Eurobodalla, Bombala, Tumut and Young being regional centres for manufacturing.
• Over half of the 28,000 Australian Capital Region businesses on the ABS business register in September 1998 were also located outside the ACT. The highest numbers of businesses in the region were in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry group with 5,700 businesses, most of which were located outside the ACT.