2017-04-11 P&E Agenda Attachment 1 to Item 1 Housing Needs Assessment

        population in 1991 to 19.3% in 2011. Looking forward to 2036, a projected 57.2% of all
        residents in the Shire will be aged 45 years and older, with almost a third of all residents
        forecast to be aged 65 years and over. At the same time, the proportions of children,
        teenagers and young adults were all lower than for Queensland, with 27.4% of the Noosa
        Shire population being under 25 years of age, compared to 33.8% for Queensland. To
        2036, the proportion of young people under 25 years of age in Noosa Shire is projected to
        fall to 24.8%.
       Noosa Shire’s population is relatively ethnically uniform, with high levels of Australian
        born, English only speaking households. 77% of Noosa Shire’s population was born in
        Australia, compared to 75% and 78% (SEQ and Queensland, respectively). 95% of
        households in Noosa Shire speak only English, compared to 88% and 90% (SEQ and
        Queensland, respectively).
       Noosa Shire has lower household incomes than SEQ and Queensland. In 2011, the
        Shire reported a median household income almost $200 below the SEQ Region and
        almost $300 below the State ($953.5, $1,150.7 and $1,235.0 per week respectively).
        Between 2006 and 2011, Noosa Shire’s household income grew at an average annual rate
        of 2.8%, which is below the rate of annual inflation (3.2%) during this time. Conversely,
        Noosa Shire’s individual income levels grew by an average annual rate of 3.8% during this
        time.
       In terms of socio-economic advantage and disadvantage, Noosa Shire is overall
        average despite pockets of both. The Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) is a
        product developed by the ABS that ranks areas in Australia according to relative socio-
        economic advantage and disadvantage by using various Census-based statistics (i.e.
        income, skills, unemployment, educational attainment, etc.). Noosa Shire’s SEIFA score is
        1,000.9 (compared to the Australian average of 1,000). SEQ scored 1,015.2. Despite this,
        some locational variance exists with pockets of disadvantage being reported in some
        areas.

2.1.2    Economic Characteristics
Economic characteristics include the following:

       Noosa Shire’s economic structure is dependent on population driven industry
        sectors and tourism. The top five employment sectors in Noosa Shire (which provide
        over half of all jobs) are:
          o    Retail trade (13.6% of total) – 26% higher than the Australian average;
          o    Accommodation and food services (12.8% of total) – almost double the Australian
               average;
          o    Health care and social assistance (12.8% of total);
          o    Construction (10.8% of total);
          o    Education and training (7.6% of total).
       The high prevalence of retail trade and accommodation and food services in Noosa
        Shire demonstrates the strong local tourism sector. In the year ending June 2015,
        tourism contributed an estimated $700 million into the local economy.
       Tourism is identified as a key strength for the region’s economy and an opportunity
        for the future, as well as a weakness in that there is a reliance on tourism in the local
        economy. The Local Economic Plan (Noosa Council, 2015a) looks beyond tourism-driven
        economic growth and employment, towards a more resilient and diversified economy, by
        achieving growth in ‘smart’ industry sectors that have high economic value and low



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