Riverina - Orange vs Geraldton

Riverina - Orange and Geraldton are both large regional areas, but they differ significantly in their First Nations populations. Riverina - Orange has a far larger Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, with 32,009 people. In this area, the typical First Nations resident is just 22, and the unemployment rate for this group is 10.4%, which is much lower than most areas. In contrast, Geraldton has 6,114 First Nations residents, who are noticeably older with a typical age of 26 and a higher unemployment rate of 18.2%.

Both areas sit near the national figure for the share of people who speak a First Nations language, though it is well higher in Geraldton at 7.7% compared to 3.6% in Riverina - Orange. They are also very similar in their general layout, with nearly the same proportion of homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries. While Riverina - Orange is a little higher for school access, Geraldton is well higher for homes within a short walk of public transport, parks, and health services.