Australia’s richest and poorest suburbs revealed

AUSTRALIA’S richest and poorest areas have been revealed. And the results are not what you might expect.

THE leafy enclave of Ku-ring-gai in Sydney’s upper north shore is the country’s richest area, new research has revealed.

Ku-ring-gai, which was home to just over 118,000 people on Census night in 2016, outranked the affluent harbourside suburbs of Mosman on Sydney’s lower north shore.

The Aboriginal shire of Cherbourg, about 250km northwest of Brisbane and home to less than 1300 people, is the country’s most disadvantaged, followed by West Daly in the Northern Territory.

Of the states and territories, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the ACT is home to the richest clusters of households, with Tasmania — the poorest.

The 10 richest areas in Australia are all located around the northern and eastern areas of Sydney and in coastal Perth, while the 10 worst off are all in Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Cherbourg, in the South Burnett region of QLD, is the most disadvantaged place in Australia, according to new research.

A small section of Ku-ring-gai National Park, part of an area that has been named the richest place to live in Australia.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are far more likely to live in the most disadvantaged areas, with 48 per cent living in the bottom fifth of council areas, compared to 18 per cent of their non-indigenous peers. Only 5.4 per cent of indigenous people live in areas of high relative advantage, compared with 22 per cent of the wider population.

More than 30 per cent of people born in China, South Africa and Malaysia live in the most well-heeled areas, while less than 10 per cent live in the worst off, the ABS data reveals.

Some 40 per cent of Vietnamese-born residents live in disadvantaged areas while just 11 per cent live in places of greatest advantage.

The socio-economic indexes are designed to help governments determine areas in most need of extra funding and improved services, and to examine the relationship between affluence and health and education outcomes. Businesses can also use the data to identify opportunities.

10 most advantaged areas

1. Ku-ring-gai (NSW) Population: 118,053

2. Mosman (NSW) Population: 28,475

3. Woollahra (NSW) Population: 54,240

4. Cottesloe (WA) Population: 7597

5. Peppermint Grove (WA) Population: 1636

6. Nedlands (WA) Population: 21,121

7. North Sydney (NSW) Population: 67,658

8. Lane Cove (NSW) Population: 36,051

9. Cambridge (WA) Population: 26,783

10. Hunters Hill (NSW) Population: 13,999 *

10 most disadvantaged areas

1. Cherbourg (QLD) Population: 1269

2. West Daly (NT) Population: 3166

3. Belyuen (NT) Population: 164

4. Woorabinda (QLD) Population: 962

5. Central Desert (NT) Population: 3677

6. Aurukun (QLD) Population: 1269

7. Yarrabah (QLD) Population: 2559

8. Doomadgee (QLD) Population: 1405

9. Napranum (QLD) Population: 957

10. Palm Island (QLD) Population: 2446