Outback - North

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 27% of the population, which is far above the national figure of 3.2%. This contributes to a very young community, with children under 15 making up 22.6% of residents and seniors aged 65 and over well below the national average at 9.4%.

Most residents were born in Australia (76.5%), and the area has a lower proportion of overseas-born people (12.3%) compared to the rest of the country. Australian and English are the most common ancestries, making up 31.9% and 27% respectively.

English is the primary language for 80.5% of the community. While 8.3% of people use another language at home, the proportion who speak little or no English is very low at 0.5%, which is much lower than the national average.

Christianity is the most common faith at 45.4%. A significant number of people report having no religion (39%), a figure that has risen by 20 percentage points since 2011.

Educational attainment is far below the national average, with only 12.3% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Year 12 completion is also much lower than usual at 43.9%, though this has risen by 7.6 percentage points since 2011.

Typical incomes are higher than the national figure, with a typical personal weekly income of $1,005. This is reflected in the fact that 16.7% of people earn over $2,000 a week, which is much higher than in most other areas.

Residents report fewer health issues than most Australians, with only 20.5% having a long-term health condition. Mental health conditions are also reported at a much lower rate than the national average, at just 4.9%.

Community participation is generally lower than the state average, with only 7.3% of people providing unpaid care. Volunteers make up 14.6% of the population, which is about the same as the national figure.

There are 8,210 First Nations people in the area, but they face significant disadvantage. Typical personal income is much lower than most areas at $435, and the unemployment rate is a little above the state average at 16%.

Homes tend to be larger, with 2.6 people per home. There is a high proportion of one-parent families (19.5%) and people living alone (28.8%), both of which are well above the national average.

Renting is far more common here than elsewhere, with 45.8% of households renting. Typical weekly rents are much lower than the national figure at $220, and only 19.6% of homes are owned outright.

The area is heavily dependent on cars, as there are no public transport stops or routes. This is reflected in the 60.6% of workers who drive to work and the fact that 9.8% of homes have no motor vehicle.

Recent overseas arrivals make up 18.5% of the population, which is well above the national average. However, this figure has fallen by 13 percentage points since 2011.

Mining is the dominant industry, employing 23.3% of the workforce. Full-time employment is very high at 72.8%, which is far above the national figure of 58.9%.

The population is small and has shrunk slightly, with a growth rate of -0.6% since 2021, which is well below the Queensland average of 8.7%.

The region is hot and dry, with an average maximum temperature of 34.8 degrees. Annual rainfall is 548mm, which is well above the state average for the region.

The area is mostly car-dependent, with a walkability score of 2.8, far below the state average of 5.0. While 65.8% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of a school, very few residents can walk to groceries or health services.