CHDC 2023 Central Highlands Economic Profile

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS ECONOMIC PROFILE 2023 THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS IS A ROBUST AND DIVERSE REGION SITUATED AT THE HEART OF AUSTRALIA’S RESOURCE AND AGRICULTURAL SECTORS. Spanning almost 60,000km2, the region encompasses a significant portion of the Bowen Basin, Australia’s largest coal reserve, and is home to eight metallurgical and four thermal mines.

With the largest cattle inventory in Australia, the Central Highlands stands as a beef powerhouse. It is also characterised by thriving broadacre cropping and horticultural industries, sustained by irrigation sourced from water storage on the Nogoa and Comet Rivers.

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS

Queensland

Strong demand for the region’s coal and agricultural products, and an emerging visitor economy, fuels the Central Highlands’ $6.03 billion gross regional product.

This economic strength is underpinned by 3,330 local businesses and a skilled workforce of 19,000.

28,583

POPULATION

59,830 KM

CAPELLA

2

LAND AREA

$6.03 BILLION

GROSS REGIONAL PRODUCT

3,330

TIERI

EMERALD

RUBYVALE SAPPHIRE BOGANTUNGAN

WILLOWS GEMFIELDS

BLACKWATER

ANAKIE Fairbairn Dam

DUARINGA

SPRINGSURE

Woorabinda Aboriginal Community

LOCAL BUSINESSES ROLLESTON

19,123

BAUHINIA

LOCAL JOBS

MINING, AGRICULTURE, VISITOR ECONOMY KEY INDUSTRIES

DINGO

BLUFF

COMET

Carnarvon Gorge ARCADIA VALLEY

DEMOGRAPHICS

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS ESTIMATED RESIDENT POPULATION AND PROJECTED POPULATION, 2011 - 2046ab PERSONS

POPULATION

30,000

15,000

Blackwater

4,554

Duaringa

184

10,000

Capella

948

Dingo

125

Springsure

824

Anakie

106

5,000 0

Tieri

724

Willows

93

Rubyvale

518

Rolleston

91

Sapphire

517

2011

29,884

229

29,571

Bluff

29,251

14,008

28,939

Emerald

28,657

20,000

28,583

Central Highlands Population, by town, 2021c

28,690

25,000

29,541

28,583 people call the Central Highlands homea. The population is projected to remain stable, increasing to 29,884 by 2046b.

2016

2022

2026

2031

2036

2041

2046

PROJECTION

NON-RESIDENT POPULATION

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS NON-RESIDENT POPULATION, 2019 - 2026d

Central Highlands resource companies utilise fly-in/ fly-out (FIFO) and drive-in/ drive-out (DIDO) workers as a source of labour supply. These workers live in the region while on shift but are not captured in resident population estimates.

PERSONS

The non-resident population is estimated to be 4,100. This is expected to increase within the range of 20 to 720 persons by 2026, dependent on the future development of resource projects and operationsd.

4,000

4,820

4,360

2022

4,460

2021

4,430

4,200

3,000

3,890

4,375

5,000

4,100

Note: figures refer to the number of non-resident workers on shift at a given point in time and do not represent the total non-resident population.

6,000

2023

2024

2025

2,000 1,000 0 2019

2020

2026

PROJECTION (SERIES D)

AGE

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS POPULATION, BY AGE COHORT, 2021-2046cb

4,322

6,953

6,935

9,345

2,626

2,000

3,162

4,000

3,529

6,000

8,530

8,000

6,101

The retiree population – over 65 years – is projected to experience the largest increase over the next 20 yearsb.

PERSONS 10,000

6,691

The Central Highlands comprises a younger population (median age 34 years) when compared to Queensland (38 years)c.

0 0-14

2021

15-24

25-44

45-64

2046 (PROJECTION)

QUICK STATS INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN POPULATION

MEDIAN WEEKLY HOUSEHOLD INCOME

MEDIAN MONTHLY MORTGAGE

COUPLE FAMILY WITH CHILDREN

5.9% (Qld 4.6%)e

$2,095

$1,500

46.9%

(Qld $1,675)e

(Qld $1,733)e

(Qld 41.2%)e

65+

WORKFORCE

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS EMPLOYMENT,

BY RESIDENT AND NON-RESIDENT WORKFORCE, 2021c

11%

Other

6%

124

Construction

1,511

957

554

Retail Trade

1,242

1,208

34

Education & Training

1,162

1,134

28

Accommodation & Food Services

1,132

1,013

119

Health Care & Social Assistance

998

950

48

Public Administration & Safety

692

626

66

Other Services

684

583

101

Transport, Postal & Warehousing

645

586

59

Administrative & Support Services

579

438

141

Manufacturing

437

360

77

Wholesale Trade

391

358

33

Professional, Scientific & Technical Services

377

346

31

Rental, Hiring & Real Estate Services

188

164

24

Electricity, Gas, Water & Waste Services

154

144

10

Arts & Recreation Services

107

94

13

Financial & Insurance Services

103

103

0

19,123

13,977

5,146

TOTAL

UNEMPLOYMENT The unemployment rate in the Central Highlands stands at a low 2.8%, with a total of 497 people classified as unemployed. In December 2022, the rate reached an all-time low of 2.6%f.

10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 0.0 MAR 20

In testament to the strong and stable job market, the unemployment rate has sat below 5% since 2016 and remains consistently below State averagesf.

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS UNEMPLOYMENT, MARCH 2020 - MARCH 2023f

%

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS

TRADES PEOPLE AND MACHINERY OPERATORS

TRADE OR CERTIFICATE QUALIFIED

EARN $2,000+ PER WEEK

QUEENSLAND

WORK 49+ HOURS PER WEEK

46%

39%

37%

41%

(Qld 20%)c

(Qld 27%)c

(Qld 18%)c

(Qld 14%)c

MAR 23

Wide Bay

1,846

DEC 22

13%

1,970

SEP 22

North Queensland (Mackay 8%)

Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing

JUN 22

20%

3,681

MAR 22

50%

South East Queensland

3,023

DEC 21

Central Queensland

6,704

SEP 21

Non-Resident Workforce, by place of residence, 2021c

Mining

JUN 21

Fifty percent of non-residents live in the broader Central Queensland region, primarily in Rockhampton (21%) and Yeppoon (20%)c.

NONRESIDENT WORKFORCE

MAR 21

Over a quarter (27%) of the Central Highlands workforce live outside the region. A majority (71%) of these workers are employed by the ’Mining’ sectorc.

RESIDENT WORKFORCE

DEC 20

Between the 2016 and 2021 census periods, there was a net increase of 2,104 jobs in the Central Highlands. The ‘Mining’ (+625), ‘Construction’ (+540) and ‘Health Care and Social Assistance’ (+230) sectors experienced the largest increase in jobsc.

TOTAL JOBS

SEP 20

The Central Highlands economy supports an estimated 19,123 jobs, with the largest employers being the ‘Mining’ (35%), ‘Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing’ (10%) and ‘Construction’ (8%) sectorsc.

INDUSTRY

JUN 20

INDUSTRY

INDUSTRY

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS COAL PRODUCTION, 2015-16 - 2021-22g (MT)

89% of coal is exported overseas, to customers in Japan, India, and Switzerlandg.

59.3 25.5

27.6 37.7

62.1 24.3

27.8

65.3

39

66.9

33.8

37.7

20

37

40

0 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 METALLURGICAL

AGRICULTURE

64.7 27.6

65.8 26.5

60

66.8

39.3

On average, the region produces more than 64 million tonnes of coal per annum, which represents over a quarter (27%) of Queensland’s total productiong.

80

26.2

The $9.33 billion Central Highlands mining industry is supported by 12 operating coal mines and a well-established mining equipment, technology, and services (METS) sectorg.

40.6

MINING

THERMAL

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES, 2020-21h ($M)

The Central Highlands is one of the State’s key agricultural producers, generating over $747 million in output, marking a 32% increase from the previous yearc.

Beef production and broadacre cropping (cereal and pulses) are the key drivers of the value.

The region is also an important cotton producer and has a thriving citrus and table grape sector.

$491

Beef

$108

Broadacre Cropping

$54

Citrusi

$36

Cotton

$25

Table Grapes

$15

Other

Emerging industries include agtech and macadamias.

VISITOR ECONOMY

NATIONAL VISITOR SURVEY RESULTS - CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, 2021 - 2022 (2 YEAR AVERAGE)j

Natural attractions, such as Carnarvon Gorge, the Sapphire Gemfields, and Blackdown Tableland National Park, are driving an emerging visitor economy.

The industry contributes more than $173 million to the local economy and generates 981 jobsc.

For 2021-2022, the region attracted an average of 635,000 visitors per annum, an increase of 8% on the previous periodj.

Visitors Average Stay (nights) Average Spend

DOMESTIC DAY

DOMESTIC OVERNIGHT

257,000

378,000

-

3

$163

$528

59% OF COAL PRODUCED IS

AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST HERD

PRODUCES 61%

2023 FINALIST

METALLURGICAL

BEEF CATTLE

MANDARIN

RUBYVALE

used for steel making

By Local Government Area

Exports – Queensland

Queensland Top Tourism Town

g

ECONOMY OUTPUT

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS OUTPUT, BY INDUSTRY, 2022c ($M)

In 2022, the Central Highlands economy generated an estimated output of $13.78 billion. This output represents the gross revenue or total sales by businesses in the regionc.

$9,330 Mining $895 $747

Output grew by 7% ($950 million) from the previous year, driven by a significant increase in the ‘Construction’ sector (+$435 million), primarily ‘Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction’. Notable upswings were also seen in the ‘Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing’ (+$179 million) and ‘Manufacturing’ (+$164 million) sectorsc.

$487

Construction Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing Manufacturing

$450

Rental, Hiring & Real Estate Services

$247

Transport, Postal & Warehousing

$1,623 Other

The ’Mining’ sector is the largest contributor to total output, accounting for 68%, followed by ‘Construction’ (7%) and ‘Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing’ (5%)c.

GROSS REGIONAL PRODUCT

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS GROSS REGIONAL PRODUCT, 2013 - 2022c

The Central Highlands generated $6.03 billion in Gross Regional Product (GRP) in 2022. GRP is a net measure of the wealth generated by the regionc.

10

The figure represents a 13% ($894 million) decline from 2021, largely attributed to the escalating cost of wages, goods, and supply chain logisticsc.

6

($B)

2020

2021

$6,029

$6,923

$6,599

$5,956

$6,915

2015

$3,682

2014

$4,187

$3,567

2

$3,781

4

Nonetheless, the region’s GRP has consistently remained robust, surpassing the $6 billion mark for the fourth consecutive yearc.

$5,229

8

0 2013

GAP ANALYSIS

2016

2017

2018

2019

2022

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS IMPORT REPLACEMENT OPPORTUNITIES, 2022c

$5.65 billion in goods and services are imported from the rest of Australia into the Central Highlands.

This represents gaps in the local supply chain, and indicates opportunities for import replacement, increased value-adding and supply chain developmentc.

EXPLORATION & MINING SUPPORT SERVICES

$853

PROFESSIONAL, SCIENTIFIC & TECHNICAL SERVICES

$574

FINANCIAL & INSURANCE SERVICES

$509

COAL PRODUCT MANUFACTURING TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT & APPLIANCE

$405 $347

MANUFACTURING

Local mining companies have procurement strategies to optimise opportunities for Central Highlands businesses. See the CHDC website for further information.

$317

TRANSPORT

($M)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

REGIONAL EXPORTS

REGIONAL IMPORTS

LOCAL EXPENDITURE

WAGES AND SALARIES

$10.43 BILLION

$5.98 BILLION

$1.91 BILLION

$2.38 BILLION

(↑5% from 2021)c

(↑30% from 2021)c

(↑26% from 2021)c

(↑33% from 2021)c

900

BUSINESS BUSINESS ACTIVITY 3,330 businesses operate in the Central Highlands.

Owner/ operators (63%) and businesses with a turnover ranging from $200,000 to $2 million (42%) account for the highest proportion of businessesc.

Central Highlands Business Registrations, by industry (top five), 2022c Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing

1,335

Construction

390

Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services

335

Other Services*

248

Professional, Scientific and Technical Services

153

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS BUSINESS REGISTRATIONS,

BY WORKFORCE SIZE AND TURNOVER, 2022c

WORKFORCE SIZE NON-EMPLOYING

1-19

20-199

200+

Number

2,102

1,149

70

9

Percent

63%

34%

2%

<1%

WORKFORCE TURNOVER RANGE $0 to <$50K

$50K to <$200K

$200K to <$2M

$2M+

Number

696

923

1,414

297

Percent

21%

28%

42%

9%

* Other Services’ sector includes repair and maintenance activities and personal services.

FURTHER INFORMATION Want to find out more? CHDC and Central Highlands Regional Council partner with data specialists, REMPLAN, to provide free regional economic and community data.

STILL CAN’T FIND WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR? CONTACT CHDC. REMPLAN Economy Central Highlands

REMPLAN Community Central Highlands

CHDC has access to the full version of REMPLAN Economy and Community, plus a range of government and industry data.

SOURCES AND NOTES a. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2023) Estimated Resident Population Local Government Area [data set], abs.gov.au b. Queensland Government Statistician’s Office (2023) Queensland Government population projections, 2023 edition: Local government areas snapshots, Central Highlands [data set] (medium series), qgso.qld.gov.au c. REMPLAN (2023) REMPLAN Modelling and Analysis System, accessed 16 August 2023 d. Queensland Government Statistician’s Office (2022) Bowen and Galilee Basins non–resident population projections, 2022 to 2026, qgso.qld.gov.au e. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2022), Central Highlands (Qld) 2021 Census All persons QuickStats [data set], abs.gov.au

f. Australian Government (2023) Small Area Labour Markets Smoothed LGA Datafiles (ASGS 2016) – March quarter 2023 [dataset], jobsandskills.gov.au g. Department of Resources (2021) Coal industry review tables FY2016 to FY2022 {dataset}, data.qld.gov.au h. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2022) Value of Agricultural Commodities Produced, Australia, 2020-21, abs.gov.au i. Citrus figure assumes 61% of Queensland mandarin exports are attributable to production in the Central Highlands. j. Tourism Research Australia (2023) REX extra for Central Highlands (Qld) The information has been sourced and compiled by Central Highlands Development Corporation. Every care is taken to ensure the content is current and factual at the time of release. CHDC takes no responsibility for errors, changes, or omissions. Published September 2023.

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION 76 Egerton Street Emerald Q 4720

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