Monday, January 23, 2023

Migration trends in Queensland

Queensland was by far Australia's fastest growing state in 2022. This continues trends that have been in place for the last two years. Population growth has been driven primarily by increasing volumes of interstate migration. This blog describes recent population trends in Queensland, with a particular focus on interstate migration.

Monday, December 19, 2022

Birth numbers rebound in 2021 - but is it the whole story?

Towards the end of each year, the ABS releases data on the number of births and deaths across the country. The births data generates significant interest, and more so this year as the fertility rate increased for the first time in many years. While the number of births, and the fertility rate, are important social indicators, they don't tell the full story in terms of population change. This blog looks at natural increase (births minus deaths) in Victoria.

Monday, November 21, 2022

The rise of high rise in Canberra

On a recent trip to Canberra I stayed in the suburb of Belconnen. I hadn't been there for many years and I was struck by the number of high rise apartment buildings around the town centre. High rise development is a relatively new phenomenon in Canberra but it is guided by the 2018 ACT Planning Strategy. The Census offers some insights into how high rise development has increased over the years and where these dwellings are located. Read on to find out more.

Monday, October 24, 2022

Australia is definitely losing its religion

When the 2021 Census data was released in July, the number and proportion of the population claiming no religion attracted significant interest. Almost 10 million Australians, or 38.7% of the population, now claim they have no religion. This is an increase of 41% on the 2016 figure. The Census is the only reliable source of data on religion in Australia, and is typically used for planning schools and religious venues. What else does the data tell us about people with no religion?