Age is just a number - but an important one

They say age is just a number, but in the demographic world it's more than that.  The age structure explains a lot about how populations grow and change.  Furthermore, the story around many social indicators are enhanced when age is considered.  This blog will look at some of the social data released via the Census, and how combining these with age can help us understand how our communities are changing.

Australia's regional cities - which ones are growing?

High levels of population growth, particularly through overseas migration, have well and truly put the spotlight on population issues.  But population growth is uneven, and many of the problems are seen through the lens of people stuck in traffic jams in Sydney and Melbourne.  The new Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has flagged the potential for policies whereby new migrants are required to live in regional areas.  There have also been calls for greater incentives to encourage people and jobs to decentralise, especially to our regional cities.  This blog looks at recent growth trends in Australia's regional cities and considers the issue of whether or not they can alleviate growth pressures in our major cities by increasing their own population growth.

When will Melbourne reach 5 million people?

Recently The Age published an article claiming that Melbourne's population was about to hit 5 million - specifically on 1 September 2018.  Naturally this intrigued me, and I wondered how this conclusion was reached.  My recent blog on population milestones did not even discuss Melbourne reaching this mark in 2017 or 2018.  The article in The Age was more about the history of Melbourne and did not elaborate on how this was calculated other than to suggest it was on the basis of new estimates from the ABS.  Did Melbourne's population reach 5 million?  Let's have a look at the evidence.