Regional Australia
- 36% of Australians live outside capital city statistical divisions and 31% live outside major cities.
- Despite common misconceptions, the population of regional Australia is rising. The Australian Bureau of Statistics projects that the population outside capital cities will grow by 26% between 2007 and 2026.
- Regional economies are based on a diversity of industry sectors, with the majority of employment concentrated in the services, health, education and infrastructure sectors.
- Regional Australia is the major source of Australia’s export earnings, with the agricultural and resources sectors representing over 60% of the value of Australia’s exports in 2009-10.
- Regional Australia plays a critical role in the Australian tourism industry, which makes a direct contribution to Australia’s GDP of $34 billion. Regional areas account for around 55% of domestic visitor expenditure and almost 20% of international visitor expenditure.
- Regional Australia holds the keys to a sustainable future for Australia. It is where solutions can be found to key national and global challenges such as: food security; biodiversity; climate change; water solutions; preservation of Indigenous cultures and Indigenous economic development; and, social inclusion.
| Fact or research finding | Reference |
|---|---|
| Population and economy | |
| As at June 2010, 36% of Australia’s population (8.03 million people) resided outside capital city statistical divisions and 31% lived outside major cities | Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)(2011) Regional Population Growth, Australia 2009-10 cat. No 3218.0 |
| Despite common misconceptions, the population in regional Australia is rising. It is projected that the Australian population will grow by 30% between 2007 and 2026, with 32% growth in capital cities and 26% growth outside capital cities. | ABS (2008) Population Projections, Australia, 2006 to 2101 cat. No 3222.0 (Based on Series B projections) |
| Average annual regional population growth over the five years 2005-10 was highest in satellite cities (within 150km of a capital city) and coastal cities, with slower rates of growth in inland cities and other rural and regional areas. | Daley, J. and Lancy, A., 2011, Investing in regions: Making a difference, Grattan Institute, Melbourne. |
| Regional economies are based on a diversity of industry sectors, with the majority of employment concentrated in the services, health, education, and infrastructure sectors. | Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (2008) About Australia’s Regions Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government |
| Regional Australia is the major source of Australia’s export earnings, with the agricultural and resources sectors representing over 60% of the value of Australia’s exports in 2009-10. | Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (2010) Australian Commodity Statistics 2010 |
| Regional Australia also plays a critical role in the Australian tourism industry, which makes a direct contribution to Australia’s GDP of $34 billion per year. In 2009-10, regional areas accounted for around 55% of domestic visitor expenditure and 17% of international visitor expenditure. | Tourism Research Australia (TRA)(2011) Tourism Industry Facts and Figures at a Glance Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism. TRA (2011) Travel expenditure by domestic and international visitors in Australia’s regions, 1999-2010 |
| Higher education attainment and aspiration | |
| There is a significant differential in higher education attainment between city and regional Australians, with the differential increasing with distance from a major city. In 2006, 27% of people aged 25-64 who lived in major cities held a Bachelor degree or above. This figure declined to 15% for Australians living in inner regional areas, to 13% for outer regional areas and down to only 10% for very remote areas. | ABS (2008) Australian Social Trends, 2008 cat. No 4102.0 |
| Parents in less geographically accessible regions have relatively low expectations for their children’s future education levels, when compared to parents in major cities. | Australian Institute of Family Studies (2011) Families in regional, rural and remote Australia, Fact Sheet 2011. |
| Young people in regional Australia continue to be less likely to aspire to a higher education. While 63% of young people in metropolitan areas intend to enrol in higher education, only 39% in provincial areas and 32% in remote areas intend to do so. | Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) (2010) Australian Regional Higher Education: Student Characteristics and Experiences |
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