Future Gold Coast: Bernard Salt says Gold Coast needs to accept destiny as population hotspot

The Gold Coast is set to grow 1.5 times faster than the rest of Australia over the next decade and needs to “accept its destiny’’ as a population hotspot, according to a leading demographer.

THE Gold Coast is set to grow 1.5 times faster than the rest of Australia over the next decade and needs to “accept its destiny’’ as a population hotspot, according to a leading demographer.

Australian Bureau of Statistic figures projected the Gold Coast’s population will hit 768,000 by 2030 and one million by the mid 2030s — a large portion of that growth coming from the northern corridor of the city.

Demographer Bernard Salt, in research commissioned by the Gold Coast Bulletin for its Future Gold Coast series — starting today — predicts the city will continue to evolve through the next decade, but believes Gold Coasters are comfortable with change.

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Locals love the Gold Coast — and so do the tourists. Picture: JERAD WILLIAMS

“You could argue Melbourne and Sydney are going to be much more the same, maybe a bit more cosmopolitan, maybe a bit more Asian or a bit more this or whatever,” he said.

“The Gold Coast is continually reinventing itself from retirement to commuting to lifestyle to research to global city to entertainment hub to a cosmopolitan city to education city to a healthcare city.

“It’s that fluidity and ease of adaptability which is making it successful by 2030.

“That’s the difference between (the Gold Coast) and Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth which you could argue are more set in their ways, not quite as adaptable.”

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Tourists on the Gold Coast. Pic Tim Marsden

During the next two weeks, the Bulletin will explore in-depth the major issues, challenges and exciting developments in store during the next decade for jobs, transport, tourism, education, development, health, lifestyle, arts and culture as well as the development of the fast-growing northern corridor.

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The Future Gold Coast series will culminate in a luncheon where Mr Salt will present his research. Guest speakers include Mayor Tom Tate and Destination Gold Coast CEO Annnaliese Battista, while a panel of the city’s leading industry experts will offer their insights.

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At the end of the two-week campaign, the Bulletin will publish a 20-point action plan of what the city needs to establish itself as a world-class city.

Among Mr Salt’s research findings, by 2030 are:

— Ormeau-Oxenford region will be a city the size of Ballarat, with more than 220,000 residents;

— All age groups will see growth in population, with families (parents aged 35-39 years and 40-44 years) and elderly age groups dominating the growth;

— The region will experience jobs growth across 85 per cent of industries, with transport, postal and warehousing set to record the biggest jump in job numbers (24 per cent);

— The Gold Coast continues to punch above its weight with small business growth and entrepreneurship.

Mr Salt likened Gold Coasters to Texans for our “can do attitude” and our ability to “make it happen”.

“If you’re a staid, conservative type of person who doesn’t like change, you’re probably not going to be attracted to go and live on the Gold Coast,” he said.

“But if you are and you want to have a crack, you want to have a go, you love lifestyle, you like the Aussie way, you like creating things, you like new challenges then the Gold Coast is pretty much it.

“It’s the mecca for that sort of philosophy when you start to put a few hundred thousand, half a million, three-quarters of a million people together who all think the same and have the same values.

“You’ve got this distinctive culture, this driving force that’s going to spearhead Australia and this region going forward.”