A new online tool that gives a snapshot of NSW’s people, demographics and green areas now and 20 years into the future has been launched by Minister for Planning and Housing Anthony Roberts.
Mr Roberts said the People and Places Dashboard will provide great insight for anyone looking to build a house, re-locate to a new area or satisfy a curiosity about the current population projections in any local area. And it is as simple as clicking a button.
“This is a fantastic new online tool that gives great insight into any part of NSW now and in the future. Even those not exactly tech-savvy will find it simple to use – and schoolkids will love it. If you want to know the population make-up in your area, this is the tool to use,” he said.
“It’s bright, colourful and uses data derived from experts at the Department of Planning and Environment.
“The dashboard is the type of thing that could expand over time and more and more relevant statistics added to paint a really detailed picture of our state and city.”
Mr Roberts added that the dashboard gives insight to open space and parkland, demonstrating that keeping NSW and Sydney green for future generations is an absolute priority.
“The dashboard shows us that we have 10 million hectares in NSW of open space and parkland – 64 per cent of this is national parks and nature reserves – I don’t think anyone would argue how important it is to have trees and parks in our lives,” he said.
“Sydney itself has more than 630,000 hectares of open space and parkland. And in planning for the future we will ensure that that is an essential component.”
The dashboard presents official NSW population projections for every five years from 2016 to 2036 and allows users to:
- find up to date information on people and household demographics for the six districts in Sydney and nine districts in regional NSW
- look at the breakdown of the five age-groups (0-19, 20-34, 35-49, 50-64 and 65+) and what percentage those age-groups are of the total population
- find out about recreational, green and open spaces in any area of NSW
- find out how your local council is performing in terms of housing approval times
“There is no denying that NSW is a great place to live and work. However, the best cities don’t just happen, they are planned, and planning for the future of our state is critical,” he said.
“Launching the dashboard is an informed step towards identifying changes in our population and planning carefully for our children’s future.”
For more information and to access the NSW People and Places Dashboard, please visit http://www.peopleandplaces.nsw.gov.au/