Date: 2008-05-12
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Queensland’s south-east has matured into a multicultural hub with Chinese now the second language in our homes and the evolution of a modern, service-based economy. The publication Queensland Characteristics, released today by Premier Anna Bligh and Treasurer Andrew Fraser, paints an up-to-date picture of the modern Queensland, based on the findings of the most recent Census.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Queensland’s south-east has matured into a multicultural hub with Chinese now the second language in our homes and the evolution of a modern, service-based economy.
The publication Queensland Characteristics, released today by Premier Anna Bligh and Treasurer Andrew Fraser, paints an up-to-date picture of the modern Queensland, based on the findings of the most recent Census.
The study shows that Queensland’s overall population has continued to swell at historic rates of more than 60,000 a year thanks to interstate and overseas migration.
Ms Bligh said the report shows overseas sun seekers continue to flood the state to the point where now one in four Gold Coast residents were born outside of Australia.
“The Gold Coast is followed closely by Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast where one in five residents are originally from somewhere else in the world” Ms Bligh said.
“The south-east corner is truly the state’s – and indeed one of the nation’s – multicultural hubs and the pattern of overseas-born migrants flocking to the south-east corner is in no doubt due to our enviable lifestyle and robust economy.
“Queensland is part of a global economy and our diverse communities reflect that.”
The findings also show that Cantonese and Mandarin are now South East Queensland’s second languages as the most commonly spoken languages after English.
In the rest of the state the majority of non-English speaking homes communicate in Australian Indigenous languages.
Mr Fraser said the findings also provided a useful insight into the demographic split between our youngest and oldest population bases.
“Our oldest residents reside in the Wide Bay region but, interestingly, our youngest population is located in the state’s north-west where these findings also show 43.5 per cent of them are renting their homes,” Mr Fraser said.
“Younger people are flocking to this area to take advantage of the resources boom but not they are not buying homes and putting down roots for any length of time.
“The north west region also has the state’s highest median income.
“In the south-east corner, the vast majority of people are employed either in retail trade or in health or social sectors.
“And that’s consistent throughout most regions of the state other than those areas in the north west and central west where the workforce is involved in more traditional areas.”
“Queensland has truly come of age as a smart diversified economy.”
Key findings of Queensland Characteristics include:
? Almost half of Queensland’s entire population – or 45.2 per cent – reside in Brisbane
? South East Queensland has a lower proportion of family households and a higher number of lone person households than the rest of the state
? The north west area has the highest median individual and family weekly income while Wide Bay has the lowest
? More than one in five people in the north west identify themselves as Indigenous
? The median weekly rent in Brisbane was more than three times that of the Central West
? One in four people on the Gold Coast were born overseas while, in contrast, only one in 25 people in the South West were born outside of Australia
? About 30 per cent of Queenslanders own their own homes while 30 per cent rent and the remainder are in the process of purchasing
? The highest percentage of home ownership – 41 per cent – is in the Wide Bay Burnett region
? The largest number of foreign migrants are from the United Kingdom, followed by New Zealand, South Africa, Germany and China
Queensland Characteristics: A Statistical Division Comparison is published by the Office of Economic and Statistical Research.
Premier’s contact 32244500
Media Contact Chris Taylor 0419 710 874