Once every five years the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) conducts a Census of the Population of Australia.
The Census of Population and Housing aims to accurately count the number of people in Australia, their key characteristics, and the dwellings in which they live.
This year the Census will be taking place on the night of the 9th of August.
The 2011 Census will also mark a historic 100 years of national Census taking in Australia.Whilst the collection of this sort of data may be boring to some, to avid property investors it is actually of great significance.
The percentage change in the amount of people living in a particular area reveals a great deal about that region.
Lets take Cairns for example, according to the last census conducted in 2006, there were 165 015 persons counted in the Cairns Regional Council local government area.
This figure includes overseas and domestic visitors to the region and excludes those that usually live in Cairns that were away visiting other areas.
The usual resident count from the census was 137 631 persons.
This includes 127 438 persons in the former Cairns City Council area and 10 193 persons in the former Douglas Shire area. The 2007 estimated resident population was 152 103 persons.
The five–year growth rate from 2002 to 2007 was 3.1 per cent. This was also the one–year growth rate from 2006 to 2007.In the former Douglas Shire the five-year growth rate from 2002 -2007 was 2.2% and just 0.9% for the one-year from 2006 -2007.
This rate of growth was higher than the Queensland rate of 2.4 per cent over the five years and 2.2 per cent over one year.
One has to wonder if the Cairns Region including the former Douglas Shire will show a higher rate of growth than Queensland in the Census conducted in 2011.
Whilst Australia’s population continues to grow, and the subject of a population cap has generated much heated debate, from what we are seeing and hearing “on the ground”, (i.e an exodus of families leaving to find employment) one can only conclude that the new figures will show a significantly lower growth rate in the old Douglas Shire.
This of course is speculation based on economic factors which have detrimentally affected the area we live in.
Has the migration to the Far North Coast of Queensland, Cairns and Port Douglas lost its momentum because of the economic downward trend in recent years?
I guess we will just have to wait for the roll out of Census 2011 before we know the facts.
Map of the old Douglas Shire
