INVESTA INFORMER
7 April 2010
Growth in the Fraser Coast area is one of the largest in the state. The Fraser Coast region increased by 3.6 per cent to more than 99,000 people for the same period. Gold Coast The latest population growth figures also show the northern Gold Coast continues to attract many of the city's new residents. The ABS figures show the Gold Coast had an estimated population last year of just over 500,000. The ABS found 515,000 people lived in the local government area in 2009 - that is up 3 per cent on the previous year. The city's fastest growing area was Pimpama-Coomera which grew by 13 per cent when 1,100 new residents moved in. Other areas which experienced rapid growth include Kingsholme-Upper Coomera which grew by almost 10 per cent, while Ormeau-Yatala's population increased by 9.5 per cent. A total of 1,400 people moved into Southport in 2009 and that represented a population growth of 5 per cent. Sunshine Coast The latest regional population growth figures show the number of people living on the Sunshine Coast climbed by about 9,500 in a year. According to the ABS, the region's population was 323,423 in June last year, that is up 3 per cent on June 2008. Population growth within the Gympie Regional Council boundaries rose by 3.8 per cent in that period to 48,282. The ABS says 69 per cent of Queensland's total growth was in the south-east, with an increase of 80,900 people. Young workers Meanwhile, the Mayor of the Whitsunday Regional Council says families and young workers need to be kept in north Queensland to support a thriving economy. Discussions about population growth will continue in Brisbane today as part of the Government's growth summit. Mike Brunker says while a large number of retirees are expected to move to the region, young workers need to be retained in the region to balance the community. "When you have older communities they're on restricted incomes, you can't put the rates up too high, so that affects the people living there as well, so usually in those high age group areas you're lacking infrastructure because you just haven't got the capacity to pay for it," he said. Councillor Brunker says there needs to be a mix of people in the state's north. "Particularly in this region I think we're going to have the coastal areas of particularly Bowen and Whitsundays would be good for your senior people who want to retire but then of course you've got your high job growth areas like Mackay, like Abbot Point and Townsville with their service industries to the mining areas where we can create the jobs and have the young people there as well, so it's important that you get that mix," he said.
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