2021-12-13 GC Agenda - Item 8 -Attachment 1 - Housing Needs Assessment

3. Population Review and Analysis
3.1        Statistical Geography
The Briggs & Mortar Housing Needs Assessment was informed by a Community Profile prepared by
AEC Group in 2015. This profile in turn was based on data from the 2011 residential census. It found
that while Noosa Shire was similar to the rest of Queensland across many socio-economic indicators,
it differed significantly in two areas:-
•     Noosa Shire’s population is older and aging faster than the rest of the state; and
•     Noosa Shire has a greater reliance on tourism for its economy than the rest of the State
Care needs to be taken when comparing 2011 and 2016 census statistics for Noosa Shire because
census geography changed over that period. In 2011 Noosa was part of the Sunshine Coast LGA
and upon de-amalgamation in 2014 the State Statistician’s Office provided a “best fit” calibration of
the Shire’s population. It lacked accuracy in border areas around Peregian Springs and Doonan, etc.
The 2015 Community profile was reliant on this data. The 2016 census data for Noosa Shire is more
reflective of the actual Shire boundary.
Noosa Council LGA covers approximately 870 square kilometres and is made up of quite distinct
communities within coastal urban areas, rural villages, and well serviced towns, as well as rural and
semi-rural areas. These areas differ in many ways although there are common values. A closer
review of the different areas is possible by analysis of the second level Statistical Areas (SA2s) of
the Census geography. These are shown in Figures 2 and 3.
Unfortunately, the SA2 of Noosa Hinterland still includes roughly 36 square kilometres of rural and
rural residential areas outside the Shire Boundary. For that reason, the sum of the six SA2s will
never match Shire figures exactly.
A Census was conducted on Tuesday 10 August 2021. That data should become available in the
second half of 2022.




Noosa Housing Needs Assessment 2021                                                          Page 23