| |
Demographics
Bass Coast Regional Health is located in the Bass Coast Shire. The main township is Wonthaggi, which is approximately 120 kilometres south east of Melbourne. The Bass Coast Shire covers 865 square kilometres and continues to grow at a much faster rate than anywhere in rural and regional Victoria. It is estimated that the area will grow by 20% over the next decade compared to only 8.5% for rural Victoria. The total permanent population is projected to increase from 29,408 persons in 2006 to 35,374 persons in 2016. This increase suggests that the annual average growth rate for Bass Coast Shire will be 1.9%, which is more than double the projected average increase of 0.8% per annum for regional Victoria. (Victoria in the Future Population Projections, 2004)
Bass Coast Shire Population and Forecast Population
Age |
2004 |
2031 |
Change |
0-14 |
5,074 |
5,886 |
16% |
15-29 |
3,936 |
5,473 |
39% |
30-44 |
5,319 |
7,054 |
33% |
45-59 |
5,925 |
8,528 |
44% |
60-74 |
5,355 |
10,984 |
105% |
75+ |
2,903 |
7,453 |
157% |
TOTAL |
28,512 |
45,378 |
59% |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2001
Not only is the projected permanent population an issue but also the fact that the area experiences unprecedented growth in semi-permanent, weekend and holiday visitors. The Bass Coast Shire is well known for its main tourist destination being Phillip Island. The area attracts approximately 3.4 million visitors annually and it is estimated that the Shire is visited by 35% of Melbourne’s international visitors. It is not uncommon for the population to expand to over 85,000 during the peak tourist season. (Bass Coast Shire Council)
Despite the population growth, the Bass Coast Shire has a very low socio-economic profile with 47.1% of the population receiving a gross weekly income of less than $300. This is well above the Victorian State average of 38.9%. The Shire has one of the highest levels of disadvantage (based on index RSED) of any local government in Victoria. The current unemployment rate for Bass Coast is 7.1%; the average for Victoria is 6.3%. Annual gaming machine losses per head of population are $698.01; the Victorian measure is $496.46. (Bass Coast Shire Council, Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2004 and Gippsland Research and Information Service GRIS)
|
|
