Welcome to the UQ Indicators Annual Report website
accompanying natural gas development
We have employed internationally recognised leading practices to monitor changes in the Queensland gasfield regions. We have assessed trends from 2001 to 2017 using interviews and statistical data on key indicators. These indicators include population, housing costs, incomes, unemployment, and crime rates. This information has helped to identify cause and effect, providing an understanding of each town that we studied and an understanding of the region as a system. These understandings are essential to making decisions aimed at improving each community's and the region's future.
Annual Report: Data updates and Analysis
This website was launched in 2016 with data and analysis is being updated to show more data for 2017. The site covers trends in key indicators to the end of 2016. There is capacity for more annual updates into the future. Each year's 'Annual Report' contains an overview of the status of towns and regions studied (Executive summary) that is, which way are trends in population, income, housing costs, etc., currently heading. There is also a focus article (Opportunities and challenges). For the Annual Report published in 2016, that article was on housing costs, the timing of construction, and associated migration during the period of coal seam gas development. For the 2017 Annual Report, ongoing business activity will be assessed in one feature article for this site, and increases in crime rates will be assessed in a second article.
Toolkit: Methods
How the Annual Report was assembled, and what can be done with the results, are illustrated in the UQ Boomtown Toolkit. The UQ Toolkit was designed to enable collaboration among local government, community, business, and industry.
Cumulative impacts study: Changes in the Western Downs
The Toolkit grew out of a focused study of cumulative social and economic impacts accompanying coal seam gas development in the Western Downs local government area. Insights from that report - Cumulative Socioeconomic Impacts of Coal Seam Gas Development in the Western Downs, Queensland - have been presented to industry, government and community numerous times over the past two years. Key 'big picture' findings relate to expectations, diversity, and movement/migration.
Town data booklets: Detail information on each town
This website is augmented by town data booklets on Dalby, Chinchilla, Miles, Wandoan, Roma, Wallumbilla, Toowoomba, Moranbah, and Dysart. Each town booklet contains trend data on the town for 2001-2015 (soon to be updated with 2016 data) on indicators - population, unemployment, income, housing costs, and crime rates. Each booklet also contains insights from interviews of key stakeholders - mayor, police, school principal, manager of the community centre, head of the chamber of commerce, knowledgeable real estate agent, experienced pub owner, etc.
We have done additional interviews in 2016 and 2017 to update insights from earlier interviews. Methods employed to assemble the town data booklets are described in the Toolkit. The booklets are summarised on this site with complete booklets downloadable as PDFs. The town data booklets are available from the 'Data Updates' page, which can be reached from the 'Annual Reports' page.
Features of this website
- Head to 'Compare Towns' to chart and compare data on different towns.
- Head to 'Annual Reports' for a feature article on housing.
There is also a summary on each town profiled accompanied by details in downloadable 'town data booklets'. This work addresses the Queensland local government areas of Western Downs, Maranoa, Toowoomba, and Isaac.
Further insight: Articles and presentations
Detailed analysis, beyond what is contained here, that addresses particular issues e.g. housing, migration, business development - will be available through peer-reviewed, academic journal articles. Such articles typically take 1-2 years to be reviewed and published. They will be cited on this website as they emerge. The research team are also happy to provide presentations and advice on specifics related to their research findings. For example, we provide updates for the Gasfields Commission Queensland and provided input for local, state, and federal governments as well as ongoing reports for the gas industry, farming industry, and relevant professional organisations.
Reports from other UQ studies of gasfield communities are also being made available here. The UQ business school study of factors contributing to resilience and good performance in small-to medium-sized enterprises (SME) is available here: UQ Business School SME Resilience Study: Report. A summary of findings can be seen here, in The Conversation. An overview of the study is here.
Studies by other researchers, such as in the Gasfield Social Scientists network, are revealing. A bibliography of such studies has been compiled and updated by UQ PhD candidate, Liz Hardie. That bibliography can be downloaded here.
For communities facing change
This Annual Report, the Cumulative Socioeconomic Impacts study, the town data booklets, and the UQ Toolkit are meant to aid the Queensland gasfield regions. They can also provide insight for any community or region in the middle of a resource boom, at the end of a boom, or expecting big changes, such as in water availability or infrastructure.
The data and insights provided on this website and via the UQ Toolkit should be used to gain an understanding of what changes have occurred in communities previously. Research does not include future predictions, outlook or forecasts on how indicators may change in the future. However research information may provide professional advisors with a guide to support future decisions and support regional long-term planning.
Research team
The research findings were gathered by a team from the University of Queensland's Centre for Coal Seam Gas. CCSG research is funded by UQ and industry members who are CSG companies.