Advocating for a new school
Surf Coast Shire is located in south-western Victoria, between 75 and 125 kilometres from Melbourne and just southwest of Geelong. It is a rural, residential and resort area incorporating the coastal townships of Anglesea, Aireys Inlet, Fairhaven, Jan Juc, Lorne and Torquay.
The Council has an online community profile (profile.id), social atlas (atlas.id) and population forecast (forecast.id) and makes them available to the community via their website.
Rapid growth has taken place from the 1980s. The population increased substantially during the 1990s, rising from nearly 15,000 in 1991 to about 19,500 in 2001. The population continued to increase from 2001, rising to nearly 21,000 in 2006. Much of the recent growth has been in Torquay, with growth in Jan Juc during the 1990s.
.id's forecasts show that population increase is expected to continue to 44,101 by 2031, with Torquay dominating growth. The primary housing market role that the Shire played over this period has been to attract young families and retirees.
The detailed population forecasts provided by .id provided Surf Coast Shire with the evidence they required to successfully lobby for a Primary to Year 9 High School in the Shire. Based on an understanding local development, migration patterns and demographic change, the forecasts enabled them to quantify the number of school aged children that would be living in the Shire each year to 2021.
What products did they use?
Surf Coast Shire Council used .id's community profile - profile.id and population forecasts - forecast.id for this project.