Population forecasters: What were they thinking?
How did the population forecasters of last century think that Australia’s population would change and grow?
Which are Australia’s “oldest” places? Age wise…
People love extremes – particularly in the statistical sense. I’m often getting asked “What’s the oldest/youngest/highest income/lowest income/most educated/least educated/largest families/smallest...
Australia breaks another record for number of births!
Australia’s sporting teams may not be doing too well internationally at the moment, but in terms of births data we are breaking all sorts of records. Two weeks ago the ABS quietly released its annual...
Sunshine Coast Council selects economy.id for major economic data project
Sunshine Coast Council recently released its Economic Development Strategy, and to keep track of the progress towards their economic development goals they selected economy.id, the online economic profile from...
2013 New Zealand Census – Usual Resident Population figures released
Data from the 2013 Census for New Zealand is starting to roll out of Stats NZ (the kiwi ABS). This blog is for our Australian readers with an interest in New Zealand. It’s a quick update of recently released...
What are the demographics of fire-prone areas?
The current bushfire situation in eastern NSW is horrendous, and we wish the affected communities all the best. Serious fires happen every few years in Australia. Tasmania had major fires in January this year,...
The Land Airbus – tomorrow’s monorail?
It seems that 30-odd years ago, the monorail was being touted as the solution to urban transport, especially in cities.
South East Queensland: The 200 kilometre city
On a recent trip to Queensland I was lucky enough to be flying on a clear day, which allows demographic nerds like myself to get a birdseye view of the towns, cities and countryside below. I’m a big fan of the...
Crime rates – the butler did it. But statistics were an accessory
Birth rates, death rates, crime rates, home ownership rates, you get the idea, rates are everywhere! In this blog I explore the calculation of crime rates … and the impact of the revisions of the official...
Where will the children play?
I recently ran a training session at the City of Bankstown, in Sydney’s south-west. This is a fascinating area, demographically. It is one of the most culturally diverse areas in Australia, with 55% of the...
Economy.id functionality summary
Economy.id has now been completely redeveloped with a raft of new functions and features.
Melbourne’s Inner City Development Spike – Challenges for forecasting
We’ve all read about it. A glut/oversupply/huge peak of apartments coming through in Melbourne. Is it happening? Where is it happening?
Marriage and relationships in the Census – Do women prefer educated, high income partners?
There is a theory that, when selecting a man as a long term relationship proposition, women are more likely to look for status and income, and men are more likely to go for looks and youth. While certainly...
Is land use zoning a barrier to future flexibility?
In the debate about future urban growth, land use zoning has an important role as a policy tool that can assist in achieving desirable outcomes; however, zoning should be much more flexible and less...
How much is agriculture really worth to your economy?
They say Australia was built on the sheep’s back, but it’s well known that Agriculture has been a declining sector of the economy for quite a while. At least as far as employment is concerned. In terms of the...
Life in Australia – 50 years ago
Adelaidians- do you remember riding the Ferris Wheel on top of Cox-Foys – in Rundle Street? (before Rundle Mall!)
Understanding the characteristics of tourism and hospitality in your area
Recently, we have added the “industry focus” section to economy.id. This highlights some extra datasets on specific industries which aren’t well represented in the rest of the site. They are not turned on by...
How smart is Whanganui?
In October 2012, Whanganui was named New Zealand’s first Smart21 Intelligent Community. Three Australian communities – Ballarat and Whittlesea in Victoria, and Prospect in South Australia were also in the top...
So you think you know all about Queensland?
Well think again. In my myth busting way, here’s some things you may or may not know about Queensland’s population.
That ole chestnut – population ageing in Queensland
Last year I wrote a blog on age pyramids, and how significantly they can differ depending on the region and its role and function. This blog will take a similar tone, but look specifically at Queensland. The...
When will the age pension be abolished?
Esther’s recent blog on dependency ratios got me thinking. We are moving towards a time when we will have far more non-working population as a proportion than ever before, particularly as the baby boomers age...
