Access keys | Skip to primary navigation | Skip to content | Skip to footer |
Problems viewing this site
Home > Regions > Darling Downs > Queensland Characteristics: A Statistical Division Comparison (Bulletin 16 Census 2001)

Queensland Characteristics: A Statistical Division Comparison (Census 2001 Bulletin no. 16)

Contents

This bulletin contains comparisons between Queensland statistical divisions and covers information such as population statistics (size and change), computer and internet use, family type, non-school qualifications, and a range of other demographic characteristics. Unless otherwise stated, the data are sourced from the 1996 and 2001 Censuses of Population and Housing conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Census data in this bulletin are on a place of usual residence basis unless otherwise stated. Data for Undefined Queensland and Off-shore areas and Migratory are not detailed specifically, but are included in the Queensland totals. As such, the sum of statistical division components may not be equivalent to the Queensland total. The South East Queensland region comprises Brisbane and Moreton statistical divisions.

Population Characteristics

There were 3,522,044 usual residents of Queensland at the time of the 2001 Census of Population and Housing (see Table 1), an increase of 274,681 persons since 1996. Brisbane ’s proportion of the Queensland population increased from 45.4% in 1996 to 45.7% in 2001.

Table 1: Usual resident population, statistical divisions, 1996 and 2001

Statistical division Population Proportion of Queensland
  1996 2001 1996 2001
  number number % %
         
Brisbane 1,474,527 1,609,114 45.4 45.7
Moreton 594,193 694,022 18.3 19.7
Wide Bay-Burnett 217,757 228,045 6.7 6.5
Darling Downs 194,050 202,475 6.0 5.7
South West 25,728 25,951 0.8 0.7
Fitzroy 172,873 174,771 5.3 5.0
Central West 12,161 12,163 0.4 0.3
Mackay 116,687 132,533 3.6 3.8
Northern 186,077 183,290 5.7 5.2
Far North 203,243 212,647 6.3 6.0
North West 34,826 34,601 1.1 1.0
         
Queensland 3,247,363 3,522,044 100.0 100.0

Figure 1 shows the respective median ages for all statistical divisions at the time of the 2001 Census. Brisbane’s median age was 34.0 years, while the North West recorded the lowest age (29.7 years) and Wide Bay-Burnett the highest age (39.5 years).

Figure 1: Median age, statistical divisions, 2001

Indigenous Status

In 2001, there were 112,575 usual residents of Queensland who identified themselves as being of Indigenous origin, 3.2% of the total Queensland population (see Table 2). Brisbane contained the largest number of persons who were of Aboriginal origin (22,968) while the Far North contained the largest numbers of persons who were of Torres Strait Islander origin (9,483) and who were of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin (3,608). The North West statistical division contained the largest proportion of Indigenous persons (24.6%).

Table 2: Indigenous persons, statistical divisions, 2001

Statistical division Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Both Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Total Indigenous
  number number number number %
Brisbane 22,968 2,319 1,613 26,900 1.7
Moreton 7,114 601 491 8,206 1.2
Wide Bay-Burnett 6,288 394 413 7,095 3.1
Darling Downs 5,127 178 194 5,499 2.7
South West 2,552 31 36 2,619 10.1
Fitzroy 6,811 466 496 7,773 4.4
Central West 634 34 30 698 5.7
Mackay 2,918 1,095 645 4,658 3.5
Northern 8,596 1,636 1,168 11,400 6.2
Far North 15,610 9,483 3,608 28,701 13.5
North West 8,135 89 281 8,505 24.6
           
Queensland 87,135 16,417 9,023 112,575 3.2

Households and families

Table 3 shows the number and type of households for South East Queensland and the rest of Queensland.

In 2001, the number of households in South East Queensland totalled 854,282. Of this number, 617,237 (72.3%) were family households, which was similar to the rest of Queensland where 73.2% of all households were family households.

When compared with the rest of Queensland, the South East had a slightly lower proportion of lone person households (22.8% compared with 23.2%), but a higher proportion of group households (4.9% compared with 3.6%).

Table 3: Household type (a)(b), South East Queensland and the rest of Queensland, 2001

Household type South East Qld Rest of Queensland
  number % number %
Family households      
  Couple family with children (c) 275,071 44.6 142,735 45.1
  Couple family without children (c) 228,901 37.1 120,796 38.1
  One parent family 101,571 16.5 48,287 15.2
  Other family 11,694 1.9 4,873 1.5
Total family households 617,237 72.3 316,691 73.2
         
Lone person 195,087 22.8 100,436 23.2
Group household 41,958 4.9 15,726 3.6
Total 854,282 100.0 432,853 100.0
 
(a) On an actual location basis.
(b) Only household members present on Census night were taken into account in determining household type.
(c) Includes same sex couple families.

Table 4 shows the median monthly housing loan repayment and median weekly rent by statistical division in Queensland. Median monthly housing loan repayments ranged from $617 in Central West to $907 in Moreton. Median weekly rent was lowest in Central West ($82) and highest in Moreton ($176).

Table 4: Median monthly housing loan repayment and median weekly rent, statistical divisions, 2001

Statistical Division Median monthly housing loan repayment Median weekly rent
  $ $
Brisbane 899 161
Moreton 907 176
Wide Bay-Burnett 651 120
Darling Downs 723 125
South West 620 93
Fitzroy 764 123
Central West 617 82
Mackay 846 129
Northern 855 138
Far North 909 136
North West 846 108
Queensland 849 152
 
(a) Location of dwelling.
(b) Of occupied private dwellings being purchased.
(c) Of occupied private dwellings being rented.
 
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Selected Social and Housing Characteristic, Cat. no. 2015.0

Overseas-born persons

In 2001, the number of overseas-born usual residents of South East Queensland totalled 480,289 or 20.9% of the total population in the region. Outside South East Queensland, the Far North and Wide Bay-Burnett statistical divisions contained the largest number of overseas-born persons, 15.3% and 10.2% of the total population in these two regions respectively. Of the total population in the rest of Queensland outside these two regions and South East Queensland, 10.1% were born overseas.

Table 5 shows the ten countries which contributed most to South East Queensland’s overseas-born population.

Table 5: Overseas-born persons, South East Queensland’s top ten countries of birth, statistical divisions, 2001

Country South East Qld Wide Bay-Burnett Far North Rest of Qld (b)
  number % % % %
United Kingdom (a) 138,060 6.0 4.3 3.9 3.3
New Zealand 104,049 4.5 1.8 2.6 1.9
Germany 13,713 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.4
South Africa 11,983 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.2
Netherlands 11,320 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.3
Viet Nam 11,143 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0
Philippines 10,773 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.4
Italy 9,334 0.4 0.2 1.1 0.5
Papua New Guinea 8,283 0.4 0.1 0.9 0.3
Taiwan 8,214 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0
           
Total Overseas 480,289 20.9 10.2 15.3 10.1
Total Persons 2,303,136 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
 
(a) Includes England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, and United Kingdom (not further defined).
(b) Excludes South East Queensland, and the Wide Bay-Burnett and Far North statistical divisions.

When compared with the rest of Queensland, South East Queensland contained a much higher proportion of United Kingdom-born persons and persons who were born in New Zealand (see Figure 2). United Kingdom-born persons accounted for 6.0% of the South East Queensland population, but only 3.3% of the rest of Queensland’s population.

Italian-born persons formed a lower proportion of persons in South East Queensland than in the rest of the state.

Figure 2: Proportion of population born overseas by country, for South East Queensland and the rest of Queensland, 2001

Notes: ‘United Kingdom’ includes England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, and United Kingdom not further defined.

Language spoken at home

In 2001, South East Queensland contained 196,237 persons who spoke a language other than English at home, 8.5% of the region’s population. This proportion of persons who spoke another language at home was less than the Far North statistical division figure of 11.4%, which was the highest of all statistical divisions. The South West statistical division contained the lowest proportion who spoke another language at home (0.9%), but was closely followed by the Central West (1.3%).

The top five languages spoken at home in South East Queensland were Chinese (1.4%), Italian (0.6%), Vietnamese (0.6%), German (0.4%) and Greek (0.4%). When compared with the rest of Queensland, the South East contained a higher proportion of persons who spoke these languages, except for Italian (see Figure 3).

Figure 3: Proportion of population who speak a language other than English at home, selected languages, South East Queensland and the rest of Queensland, 2001

Notes: ‘Chinese’ includes Cantonese, Mandarin, Other Chinese Language.

Non-school qualifications

At the time of the 2001 Census, a total of 1,189,280 persons in Queensland, or 43.0% of the population aged 15 years and over, stated that they had obtained a non-school qualification. The Brisbane statistical division contained the highest proportion of persons with non-school qualifications (45.0%), but was closely followed by the Moreton and Far North statistical divisions (44.8% and 44.2% respectively). The South West statistical division contained the lowest proportion of persons with non-school qualifications (33.5% of its population aged 15 years and over) (see Figure 4).

Figure 4: Proportion of population aged 15+ years with a non-school qualification, by statistical division

Notes: Excludes schooling up to Year 12.

Computer and internet use

The 2001 Census found that 41.3% of the total population enumerated in Queensland (3,585,639 persons, excluding overseas visitors) used a computer in the week preceding the census. The Brisbane statistical division had the highest proportion of computer users (46.0%) in the state. The proportions in all other statistical divisions were lower than the Queensland average. The North West statistical division recorded the lowest rate with only 1 in 4 persons (26.2%) using a computer in the week before the census (see Figure 5).

Figure 5: Computer usage in the week preceding the 2001 Census, statistical divisions

Table 6 shows the number of persons who used the internet in the week preceding the 2001 Census.

Table 6: Internet usage in the week preceding the 2001 Census, statistical divisions

Statistical division Persons who used the Internet Total persons
  number % number
Brisbane 664,663 41.3 1,609,116
Moreton 245,324 35.3 694,022
Wide Bay-Burnett 56,524 24.8 228,048
Darling Downs 59,966 29.6 202,471
South West 5,954 22.9 25,952
Fitzroy 56,317 32.2 174,770
Central West 3,203 26.3 12,168
Mackay 40,273 30.4 132,530
Northern 62,279 34.0 183,288
Far North 64,432 30.3 212,644
North West 8,142 23.5 34,601
Queensland 1,270,397 36.1 3,522,044

Just over one-third (36.1%) of Queensland’s population used the internet in the week before the 2001 Census. This proportion was higher than all of Queensland’s statistical divisions except for Brisbane, which recorded the highest proportion of persons who used the internet (41.3%). The South West statistical division recorded the lowest proportion with just under 1 in 4 persons using the internet in the week before the census.

Industry and occupation of employment

A total of 1,029,673 persons were employed in South East Queensland at the time of the 2001 census. Over a quarter of this number (272,209 persons or 26.4%) were employed in the ‘Retail, Wholesale and Accommodation’ industry, which made it the largest South East Queensland industry by number of employees. A further 251,024 persons (24.4%) were employed in the ‘Manufacturing, Construction and Utilities’ industries.

When compared with the rest of Queensland, the South East contained a higher proportion of employed persons in the industries of ‘Retail, Wholesale and Accommodation’, ‘Manufacturing, Construction and Utilities’, ‘Property, Finance and Communications’ and ‘Cultural, Recreational and Personal’ (see Figure 6). The ‘Government, Education and Health’ industry was underrepresented in South East Queensland with 21.7% of employed persons being in this industry compared with 22.6% for the rest of Queensland. The rest of Queensland contained a much higher proportion of persons who worked in ‘Primary Industries including Mining’ than in South East Queensland (13.9% compared with 2.1%).

Figure 6: Employment by industry, South East Queensland and rest of Queensland, 2001

Notes: ‘Retail, Wholesale & Accommodation’ includes ‘Retail Trade’, ‘Wholesale Trade’ and ‘Accommodation, Cafes and Restaurants’. ‘Primary Industries including Mining’ includes 'Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing’, and ‘Mining’. ‘Manufacturing, Construction & Utilities’ includes ‘Manufacturing’, ‘Electricity, Gas & Water Supply’, ‘Construction’, and ‘Transport & Storage’. ‘Property, Finance & Communications’ includes ‘Communication Services’, ‘Finance & Insurance’ and ‘Property & Business Services’. ‘Government, Education & Health’, includes ‘Government Administration and Defence’, ‘Education’ and ‘Health & Community Services’. ‘Cultural, Recreational & Personal Services’ includes ‘Cultural & Recreational Services’ and ‘Personal & Other Services’.

Across Queensland, the North West statistical division contained the lowest proportion of employed persons who stated they had an occupation as a Manager or a Professional (29.9%). The South West statistical division recorded the highest proportion of employed persons with this occupation (41.3%), followed by Central West with 39.7% (see Figure 7). Moreton contained the highest proportion of persons who stated they had an occupation in clerical sales and service (32.6%), but was closely followed by Brisbane statistical division with 32.2%. The North West statistical division contained the highest proportion of trades and labourers (46.9%).

Figure 7: Employment by occupation, statistical divisions, 2001

Notes: ‘Management & Professionals’ includes 'Managers & Administrators’, ‘Professionals’ and ‘Associate Professionals’. ‘Trades & Labourers’ includes ‘Tradespersons & Related Workers’, ‘Intermediate Production & Transport Workers’ and ‘Labourers & Related Workers’. ‘Clerical, Sales & Service’ includes ‘Advanced Clerical & Service Workers’, ‘Intermediate Clerical, Sales & Service Workers’ and ‘Elementary Clerical, Sales & Service Workers’.

Method of travel to work

The most popular method of travel to work by the 1,033,204 employed persons enumerated in South East Queensland (excluding overseas visitors), was by car (either as a driver or as a passenger) (see Figure 8). There were 677,269 persons who used this method of travel, 65.6% of the total number of employed persons.

Figure 8: Method of travel to work, selected methods, South East Queensland and rest of Queensland, 2001

 

Last reviewed 1 July 2008