Brisbane, the capital of Queensland and Australia’s third largest city, is the growth powerhouse of the Australian economy, outstripping all other major national centres.
Now with the largest population growth for any Australian capital city, Brisbane is experiencing a fundamental shift in its business landscape. Recognised as Australia’s most liveable city, Brisbane has a well deserved reputation as Australia’s safest, cleanest and greenest capital city.
The south-east corner is truly the State's - and indeed one of the nation's - multicultural hubs and the pattern of overseas-born migrants flocking to the south-east corner is in no doubt due to the enviable lifestyle and robust economy.
The City is spread over 2,116 square km (817 square miles), and with some 1.84 million residents Brisbane is home to more than one third of Queensland’s entire population, and around 570,000 businesses.
Brisbane facts
- Brisbane is the largest of Australia’s six capital cities by geographic area and the third largest municipality in the world, spread over 2,116 square km (4,600 sq km’s).
- Brisbane has the largest population growth (no.) by LGA for any Australian capital city.
- Brisbane local government area (LGA) is the first LGA in Australia to pass the population milestone of one million, reaching 1,010,000 people in June 2007.1
- Brisbane City Council (BCC) is the largest city council in the Asia Pacific, managing a budget of over $1.6 billion, with managed assets in excess of $16 billion. BCC administers the entire metropolitan area of Brisbane and is the most powerful, and politically influential, local authority in Australia.
- Median age of residents is 35 years old and more than 25% of residents were born overseas.1
- 1.84 million residents, equal to one third of Queensland’s entire population, and around 570,000 businesses.
- 21.7% of Brisbane’s population were born overseas, with the highest numbers being from the UK, New Zealand, South Africa, Vietnam and Scotland.
- Brisbane has averaged economic growth of more than 4.5% for the last 20 years.
- Brisbane local government area (LGA) is the first LGA in Australia to pass the population milestone of one million, reaching 1,010,000 people in June 2007.
- Brisbane is the closest major Australian capital to the Asia Pacific region.
- Of the OECD countries, Brisbane was the 32nd fastest growing region between 2001 and 2006
Brisbane employment
- By 2026, Brisbane’s workforce is projected to increase by 55%, from 550,000 to 850,000.2
- Employment in Brisbane is forecast to grow much faster than population, with 1.05 million expected by 2026 (that is a 55.11% growth).3
- Inner city and Australia TradeCoast will account for 2/3 of employment growth in Brisbane. 4
- Top five industries with largest employment growth: property and business, government, education, health and community, cultural and recreational.5
- Top five occupations with largest employment growth: professionals, managers and administrators, associate professionals, intermediate clerical sales, intermediate production transport workers.
Brisbane Population
- Resident population increased by 37,204 persons between June 2006 and June 2007 (41.1% share of the State's population growth)
- Qld’s largest increase in population occurred in the Brisbane CBD (up by 15,716 persons in the year to June 2007, representing 42.2% of all growth in Brisbane.
- Average annual population growth between 2001 and 2006 was 2.2% (the highest performer of all the capital cities) 8
- Population has reached 1,8 million people and the larger SEQ corner has now reached over 2.7 million (represents 65% of the Queensland’s population).
- Projected Population Growth: 2021 (2,403,600) and 2051 (3,354,700) 9 Education and talent
- For the first time, Brisbane was one of two Australian cities included in the ‘Most Admired Knowledge City’ Awards program.
- UQ was named one of the top 50 universities in the world for the fourth year running in the UK's Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings, released today.
- At 14%, Brisbane has a 4% higher proportion of graduates with bachelor degrees than the national average Brisbane exports
- Top five export industries: education, property and business, manufacturing, transport, health and community, and wholesale.
- Exports: more than double from $41b in 2004 to $98b by 2026. 14 Infrastructure growth
- $82 billion planned investment for the South-East Queensland Infrastructure Program
- Transapex - the biggest urban road project in Australia. 5 Projects - 10 year pipeline.
- Current Projects:
- 6-lane Gateway toll bridge, $2b (mid-2011)
- Gold Coast Bypass, $360m
- 230 ha port reclamation
- Hale Street Link, $2.40b (late 2010)
- Northern Link (2014) $3.00-$3.70
- Airport Link (2012) $4.8 billion
- Rail and busway upgrades
- $1.3 billion desalination plant
- 1.5 km North South Bypass Tunnel (mid-2009) $4.20
Brisbane Airport
- Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) received the award for best water management in the world at the 2008 International Water Association (IWA) Awards in Vienna
- Winner of the prestigious IATA Eagle award for World’s Best Privatised Airport 2005
- Brisbane Airport is the nation’s best-performing capital city airport for arrivals and departures.
- Brisbane Airport has the second highest number of international arrivals into Australia (behind Sydney).
- Domestic and international airports are located 15 minutes from the CBD, connected by Airtrain – a dedicated rail link and the only one of its kind in Australia.
- Brisbane’s Airtrain has recorded a 17% increase in passengers in 2008, a record of 1.64 million passengers used the train from the CBD to the airport.
- Brisbane airport traffic is set to double by 2025 (39 million traffic movements by 2025), making Brisbane Airport Australia’s second largest.
- 4.1 million passengers passed through Brisbane Airport in 2007 / 08 – a new record for a financial year, and 2.5% growth compared to the previous financial year.
- BAC will spend $2.5 billion on infrastructure over the next 20 years
- $2.2 billion new runway now under construction
- $4.8 billion Brisbane’s Airport Link project is Australia’s largest PPP and one of the largest road infrastructure projects
- Jobs at the Airport are forecast to grow stronger than the national average, with an anticipated workforce of around 42,500 by 2023.
Port of Brisbane
- One of only seven ports in the world with deep-water access
- Room to expand - 230ha reclamation to be largest in Australia
- Most cost-effective commercial port facility in Australia
- Total trade to more than double to 60 million tonnes over next 20 years
Australia Trade Coast
- More than 8,000 hectares
- Direct links to national road network
- Over the last 5 years: $1 billion in infrastructure development; over 100 new industrial developments; 50% of industrial take-up in Brisbane.
- In 2006/07, the value of international exports (including both manufactured goods and commodities) through ATC grew from $4.8b in 1995/96 to $11.3b, representing an annual growth rate of 8.1%.
- Manufactured goods exported from ATC (excluding commodities) was $1.16b in 1995/96 and $4.8b in 2006/07, representing an average annual growth rate of 8.39%.
Brisbane’s ranking
- Brisbane was named the best airport in the Australia/Pacific region, ahead of Auckland and Adelaide in a worldwide survey of 8.2 million travellers (Skytrax World Airport Awards 2008).
- Brisbane is an ‘international rising urban star’ (Barcelona is the ‘urban star in Europe’)
- Brisbane is the only Australian city that was acknowledged in the 31 eclectic mix of cities worldwide that offers outsourcing potential
- KPMG’s 2006 Competitive Alternatives Guide, ranked Brisbane as the world’s second most cost competitive location for doing business
- In 2006, the World Bank ranked Australia as second in the world for the ease of starting a business.
- In 2007, the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook report ranked Australia’s economy as the 7th most resilient in the World; following five successive years as 1st.
- Brisbane was ranked fourth in the Deloitte Hotel Occupancy Global Ranking Index, which compares the performance of 165 cities outside North America.
Media enquiries:
Elisabeth Topham, Communications and Media Advisor
T 07 3006 6263
M: 0402 792 264 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0402 792 264 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
E etopham@brisbanemarketing.com.au
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Australian Bureau of Statistics, March 2008
South East Queensland Forecasting Study, Brisbane City Council, 2007
South East Queensland Forecasting Study, Brisbane City Council, 2007
South East Queensland Forecasting Study, Brisbane City Council, 2007
South East Queensland Forecasting Study, Brisbane City Council, 2007
South East Queensland Forecasting Study, Brisbane City Council, 2007
The State of Queensland (Queensland Treasury) 2008
The State of Queensland (Queensland Treasury) 2008
South-East Queensland Forecasting Study, Brisbane City Council, 2007
2008 MAKCI Awards, The World Capital Institute & Teleos
Note: Top 200 rankings will be published in print on October 9, 2008 in
Times Higher Education and online at 00:01 GMT on October 10 at
www.topuniversities.com.
South East Queensland Forecasting Study, Brisbane City Council, 2007
Brisbane long term planning economic indicators, Dr Peter Brain, National Institute of Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR)
The IWA is the largest professional water sustainability association in the world.
Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) report, 2008 17 Brisbane Airport Corporation
ABS Foreign Trade Unpublished
KPMG Report 2009: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10169476-92.html