BRISBANE - NORTH

Brisbane - North covers nearly 187 square kilometres and includes the Brisbane Airport. Brisbane - North is the site of the Australian Catholic University, which has seen considerable expansion in the 10 year period to 2011.

From 2001 to 2011, the rate of attainment of higher level qualifications in Brisbane - North increased from 37.9% to 52.9% (15.0 percentage points). The increase raised Brisbane - North's rate of attainment from close to the national average in 2001, to well above the national average of 49.9% in 2011. The increase in higher level qualifications was mainly in bachelor degrees. In 2001, 12.2% of 20-64 year olds in Brisbane - North had a bachelor degree compared with 19.4% in 2011.

The largest increase in the rate of higher level qualifications occurred in people aged 30-39 years, which rose from 42.0% to 62.5% between 2001 and 2011.

Age group	2001	2011	Change
	%	%	percentage points
20-29 yrs	37.7	50.9	13.2
30-39 yrs	42.0	62.5	20.5
40-49 yrs	40.3	54.8	14.5
50-59 yrs	33.3	47.3	14.0
60-64 yrs	29.3	38.4	9.1
Total 20-64 yrs	37.9	52.9	15.0
Source: ABS Censuses of Population and Housing, 2001 and 2011

In 2011, over 116,700 people aged 20-64 years lived in this region. Between 2001 and 2011, the population in Brisbane - North grew by 18.3% (18,025 people). The population growth occurred across all age ranges.

Most people who had moved to Brisbane - North in the previous five years came from elsewhere in Queensland (59.0%) - with the majority from the Greater Brisbane area (46.9%). Of the people who moved into the region, a larger proportion were younger people, particularly from other parts of Brisbane and from overseas, and were more likely to have higher level qualifications. The inflow of people from elsewhere seems to be the main driver of the increased rate of attainment in the working-age population of this region.

Of people aged 20-64 years who lived in Brisbane - North in 2011, just under one third had indicated they lived in another region five years previously - one of the highest proportions of all SA4s in Australia. A higher proportion of those who lived somewhere else five years ago (62.4%) had a higher level qualification than those who had lived in the region five years ago (51.5%).

In 2011, nearly 40% of 20-64 year olds who lived in Brisbane - North worked somewhere else in Greater Brisbane (39.7%). Those with a higher level qualification were more likely to commute to work elsewhere in Greater Brisbane than those without a qualification (48.4% and 32.7% respectively).

Between 2001 and 2011, the median weekly household income in Brisbane - North increased 77% from $787 to $1,394. This was slightly more than for Greater Brisbane as a whole, which increased by 70% to $1,385 over this period.

In summary, Brisbane - North has had the largest growth in the rate of attainment of higher level qualifications among 20-64 year olds in the decade to 2011 and this has largely been driven by population growth and mobility. The region appears to have attracted younger people with higher level qualifications, largely coming from other parts of Greater Brisbane. People with qualifications living in Brisbane - North are more likely to commute to other parts of Greater Brisbane to work, and the median household income of the region increased by more than that of Greater Brisbane as a whole over this period.