Gatton - Laidley vs Toowoomba - Central

Gatton - Laidley and Toowoomba - Central are two nearby Queensland areas with very different layouts. Toowoomba - Central is far more accessible, where 72.5% of homes have a 15-minute-city walkshed and 96.5% are within a short walk of a park. In contrast, Gatton - Laidley is car-dependent, with only 23.8% of homes meeting the walkshed criteria and 32.3% near a park. This gap is seen across the board; for example, 79.5% of homes in Toowoomba - Central are near public transport compared to just 15.9% in Gatton - Laidley.

Both areas have First Nations unemployment rates that are quite similar, sitting at 14.9% in Gatton - Laidley and 13.9% in Toowoomba - Central. Toowoomba - Central has a much larger Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, with 5,714 people compared to 2,095 in Gatton - Laidley. In Toowoomba - Central, First Nations Year 12 completion is well higher at 44.4%, which is well above the national figure.