2016 Annual Report
Toowoomba details
2016 - Ongoing shifts
An update on changes in Toowoomba will be presented here in June 2017. The assessment addresses Toowoomba overall as well as the different trajectories apparents in Toowoomba's different suburbs.
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2015 -
Changes to Toowoomba’s population
Population in Toowoomba has been increasing slowly, and slow growth is expected to continue by those whom we interviewed.
Interviewees were surprised that the numbers of CSG non-resident workers was lower than they had expected.
Most non-resident workers were based out of town. Predictions for 2015 indicate that the numbers for the Toowoomba region will remain stable. However, in reality, the number of non-resident workers in town halved, according to QGSO statistics.
Housing in Toowoomba
Housing in Toowoomba is viewed by interviewees as affordable. Median house prices increased by more than $50,000 in 2014 after a period of relative stability.
Rents for a 3-bedroom home have been increasing steadily. Interviewees suggest that this trend may reflect steady demand from the government services sector, particularly education and health services.
Temporary accommodation providers are said to have largely serviced business travellers and short term stays. We were told that there was a shortage of budget accommodation for backpackers and budget travellers during the CSG construction phase.
Unemployment and income in Toowoomba
Unemployment in the Toowoomba region is lower than the Queensland rate. However, unemployment rates vary markedly between Toowoomba’s suburbs.
During the time of the ‘CSG boom’, skills shortages were experienced in some sectors, particularly hospitality and mechanics, our interviewees said.
Average personal incomes have remained below the Queensland average and showed no significant increase. Net business income for Toowoomba as a whole more than doubled in the 2012-2013 financial year.
Safety in Toowoomba
Toowoomba is perceived by our interviewees to be a safe place to live. This view is reflected by the data. Figures show that Toowoomba's overall crime rate is about 15% below the Queensland rate.
Toowoomba’s rate of good order* offences is higher than the Queensland rate.
(*Good order offences are disorderly or offensive behaviour, and can be threatening or violent, which have the potential to interfere with another person’s peace in a public place.)
Drug offences are also higher than the Queensland rate, and they are increasing rapidly. However, data show that increases in drug offences are a Queensland-wide trend. The number of offences can reflect police effort. So recent increases in these offences may reflect concentrated police effort toward these issues.
See the Toowoomba booklet for more information
The statistical data and more detailed perspectives from the Toowoomba interviewees are available in the Toowoomba booklet; the link is available at the left. The booklet includes data up to 2015, and interpretations from UQ researchers. The booklet update for 2016 will be available soon, in June 2017.
We would like to thank members of the Toowoomba community for their cooperation, and the gift of their time. We hope that we have done justice to their contributions to this investigation.
The UQ ‘Cumulative Impacts’ Research Team.