SERIOUSLY improved transport options for hinterland residents are needed to cope with the influx of residents expected to call the Sunshine Coast home in the next decade, a Glasshouse Country Chamber meeting has heard.
An ‘After Hours’ function at the Beerwah Golf Club on Thursday April 20, heard from Regional Development Australia’s Paul Fisher who outlined the incredible growth being experienced across the coast and the opportunities and challenges that this created.
Not only will an extra 170,000 residents will move to the coast in the next 20 years, but there will be a massive influx in the over 60s age bracket.
Age group calculations show that 40 per cent, or 84,000 new residents coming to the region between 2016 and 2041 will be 60+.
A further breakdown of those figures show there will be a near 200 per cent increase in the 80-84 year age bracket and a 150 per cent in the 75-79 year bracket.
While that will create opportunities in aged care and other industries, it also creates challenges for policy makers in moving residents – young and old – across the coast.
Among the issues to overcome was the fact the region currently has the second highest private car usage in Australia – behind only Perth – with 98 per cent of private travel taken by car.
“A lot of the transport infrastructure (investment) is north to south and south to north,” Paul said.
“If you’re trying to go east to west from Nambour to get to TAFE for example … you’ve got to catch two or maybe three buses. It will take you an hour and a half.
“We’ve got some serious transport challenges here.”
He said while there appeared to be some political will to get the Beerwah to Maroochydore rail line built, the window of opportunity to achieve this by the Olympics was closing and the costs were already increasing beyond initial estimates.
Paul added it was a watch and wait scenario in terms of what the State Government was going to put on the table in its next Budget.
