Young vs Southern Tablelands

Young and Southern Tablelands are two regional New South Wales areas with very different profiles for their First Nations people. Southern Tablelands has a far larger Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, with 3,709 people compared to 656 in Young. This group in Southern Tablelands also sees much higher typical household incomes ($1,736 compared to $1,163 in Young) and a higher Year 12 completion rate. In contrast, First Nations residents in Young are more likely to speak a First Nations language and face a well higher unemployment rate.

Both areas are mostly car-dependent and offer a similar variety of amenities within a 15-minute walk. However, how people access those services varies; Young has a far higher share of homes within a 15-minute walk of health services (40.6% versus 28.3%), while Southern Tablelands is far better for public transport, with 54.4% of homes within a 10-minute walk compared to just 18.0% in Young.