Central Highlands Economic Profile 2022
The Central Highlands is a robust and diverse region that sits at the heart of Australia’s resource and agricultural sectors.
Spanning almost 60,000km2 , the region includes a significant portion of the Bowen Basin, Australia’s largest coal reserve.
The Central Highlands is home to eight metallurgical and four thermal mines, with a further nine projects in the pipeline.
Boasting the largest cattle inventory in Australia, the Central Highlands is 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.
Strong demand for the region’s coal and agricultural products, and an emerging visitor economy, fuels the Central Highlands’ $6.87 billion gross regional product. This is underpinned by 3,300 local businesses and an 18,000-strong skilled workforce.
Land area 59,830km2
Business count 3,300+
27,836
Gross Regional Product $6.87 billion Unemployment rate 3.6% Agribusiness output $729 million1 Domestic visitors 587,000 Annual coal production 60 million + tonnes
Population
Median age 34 years
Demographics Population
27,836 people call the Central Highlands home. The population is forecast to increase to 30,133 persons by 2041.
Non-Resident Population
The non-resident population, people who live in the region while on shift, is estimated to be 4,100. This is expected to increase by 20 to 720 persons by 2026.
Central Highlands Population, 2011 - 2041
Age
The Central Highlands comprises a younger population (median age 34 years) when compared to Queensland (38 years).
The senior population — 65+ years — is projected to experience the largest increase over the next 20 years.
Central Highlands Non-Resident Population, 2019 - 2026
Central Highlands Population, by age cohort, 2021 -2041
(Age) 28,716 28,002 27,836 28,845 29,319 29,755 30,133 2011 2016 2021 2026 2031 2036 2041 32,000 30,000 28,000 26,000 24,000 22,000 20,000 4,375 3,890 4,100 4,200 4,430 4,460 4,360 4,820 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 0-14 15-24 25-44 45-64 65+ 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 20,000 6,489 6,542 3,426 3,391 8,347 8,685 6,884 6,684 2,696 4,830 Projection Projection
2021 2041 (projection) ATSI population 5.9% (Qld 4.6%) Median weekly rent $250 (Qld $365) Median weekly income* $2,095 (Qld $1,675) Volunteers 18.4% (Qld 14.1%) *household (Persons) (Persons) (Persons)
a, b
c, d Source: a, b Source: e
(series d)
Source:
Source:
Workforce Industry
17,964 people work in the Central Highlands. The largest employers are the ‘Mining’ (6,082 jobs), ‘Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing’ (1,788 jobs) and ‘Construction’ (1,216 jobs) sectors.
Source: f
Unemployment
Central Highlands Unemployment, June 2019 - June 2022
Highlands
Mining
Construction Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing
Retail Trade Education & Training Health Care & Social Assistance Accommodation & Food Services
Other Services Transport, Postal & Warehousing Information Media & Telecommunications Public Administration & Safety Administrative & Support Services
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 6,082 1,788 1,216 1,166 1,103 1,069 897 650 619 592 472 420 360 348 178 145 102 98 53
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services Wholesale Trade Manufacturing Rental, Hiring & Real Estate Services Electricity, Gas, Water & Waste Services Financial & Insurance Services Arts & Recreation Services
Source: f Central Highlands Employment, by industry, 2021
Jun 19 Dec 19 Jun 20 Dec 20 Jun 21 Dec 21 Jun 22 8.0 7.0 6.0 5.0 4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0 Central
Central Queensland Queensland Trades people & machinery operators 44% (Qld 21%) Trade or certificate qualified 36% (Qld 24%) Earn $2,000+ per week 35% (Qld 18%) Source:
The unemployment rate in the Central Highlands as at June 2022 was 3.6%. The rate of unemployment remains consistently below Central Queensland and State averages. (Jobs) Work 45+ hours per week 46% (Qld 19%)
f
Industry Coal Mining
The $9.45 billion Central Highlands mining industry is support by 12 operating coal mines and a well established mining equipment, technology and services (METS) sector.
The region produces more than 62 million tonnes of coal per annum, which represents 28% of Queensland’s total production.
Source: g
Agriculture
The Central Highlands is one of the State’s key agricultural producers, generating over $729 million1 in output.
Beef production ($491 million) and broadacre cropping ($108 million) are the key drivers of the value. The region is also an important cotton producer and has a thriving citrus and table grape sector.
Source: h, i
Visitor Economy
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 $137 million to the local economy. Prior to COVID, the region was attracting over 700,000 visitors a year including 10,000 international tourists.
Central Highlands Value of Agricultural Production, 2020-21
6,100
63,000
51,000
50,000
Central Highlands Visitor Economy, 2020 - 2021 (2 year average)
Source: d, j
Source: g
Central Highlands Coal Production, 2015-16 – 2020-21
41 39 37 39 38 38 26 27 28 28 28 24 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 67 66 65 67 66 62 20 10 30 40 50 60 70 80 0
Value ($m) Production (t) Area (ha)
Domestic Day Domestic Overnight Visitors 258,000 329,000 Nights 1,413,000 Average Stay (nights) 4 Average Spend per trip $194 $436 Average Spend per night $101 60% metallurgical coal 19% of Qld Priority Agricultural Area Fairbairn Dam 1.301 million megalitres Airport passengers 159,000+ (Mt)
Metallurgical Thermal
Beef $491 Cotton $36 13,000
Sorghum $41 122,000
Wheat $28 85,000
Pulses $39 55,000
Mandarins $541 Table grapes $25 6,000 820
Economy Output
The Central Highlands economy generates an estimated $12.83 billion in output. The largest contributor is the ‘Mining’ sector which represents 74% of total output.
$9,450 Mining
$566 Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing
$470 Rental, Hiring & Real Estate Services
$460 Construction $323 Manufacturing $226 Transport, Postal & Warehousing $1,333 Other
Source: d
Gross Regional Product
$6.87 billion in net wealth (Gross Regional Product) is generated by the Central Highlands.
While not reaching the high of the mining boom ($8.44 billion, 2012), the region has returned strongly from the downturn ($3.57 billion, 2015).
Source: d
Gap Analysis
$4.32 billion of 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 development.
Source: d
Source: d
Highlands Gross Regional Product, 2012 - 2021 Central Highlands Import Replacement Opportunities 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 $8.44 $5.23 $3.78 $3.57 $4.19 $3.69 $5.96 $6.60 $6.91 $6.87 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 Machinery and Equipment Transport & Storage Finance Professional, Scientific & Technical Services Coal Product Manufacturing Exploration & Mining Support Services 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 $676 $395 $382 $233 $188 $187 ($bn) ($m) Regional exports $9.92 billion Local expenditure $1.51 billion Regional imports $4.59 billion Wages and salaries $1.79 billion
Central Highlands Output, by industry, 2021 ($m) Central
Business Business Activity
3,334 businesses operate in the Central Highlands. The largest number of businesses are in the ‘Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing’ sector (1,354), followed by ‘Construction’ (378).
Source: d
Further Information
Workforce size
Nonemploying 1-19 20-199 200+
Number 2,103 1,150 74 7 Percent 63% 34% 2% .2%
Turnover Range $0 to <$50k $50k to <$200k $200k to <$2m $2m +
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Note & Sources
1 Figure is based on Agricultural Capital Commodity estimates 2020-21 by Local Government Area and assumes 61% of Queensland mandarin exports is attributable to production in the Central Highlands.
a. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2022), 2021 Census of Population and Housing, Time Series Profile, Central Highlands (Qld)
b. Queensland Government Statistician’s Office (2018) Queensland Government population projections: Regions, 2018 edition, by Local government area (medium series)
c. Queensland Government Statistician’s Office (2022) Bowen and Galilee Basins non-resident population projections, 2022 to 2026
d. REMPLAN (2022) REMPLAN Modelling and Analysis System
e. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2022), 2021 Census of Population and Housing, General community profile, Central Highlands (Qld)
f. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2022), 2021 Census of Population and Housing, Working Population Profile, Central Highlands (Qld)
g. Department of Resources (2021) Coal industry review tables FY2016 to FY2021, Queensland production by individual mines (tonnes)
h. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2022) Value of Agricultural Commodities Produced, Australia, 2020-21
i. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2022) Agricultural Commodities, Australia, 2020-21
j. Tourism Research Australia (2022) REX extra for Central Highlands (Qld)
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Central Highlands Development Corporation 76 Egerton Street Emerald Q 4720 T 07 4982 4386 F 07 4982 4068 E enquiries@chdc.com.au W chdc.com.au The information has been sourced and compiled by Central Highlands Development Corporation (CHDC). 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 November 2022. Abbreviations ATSI Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander bn Billion ha Hectare k Thousand km2 Square kilometres m Million Mt Million tonnes Qld Queensland t Tonne
Number 715 924 1,399 296 Percent 21% 28% 42% 9%
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