Central Region - Alice Springs
Alice Springs is the administrative and major service centre for the Central region which has 19% of the Northern Territory’s population.
Major industries in the region include mining, pastoralism, oil and gas, tourism, defence and the arts. The Pine Gap Joint Defence Facility is located near Alice Springs and the region houses a significant number of American defence staff and families. The region is also home to major tourist attractions including Uluru, Kings Canyon and Indigenous arts and culture.
More than 80% of the Northern Territory’s gold and all its onshore oil and gas are also sourced from the region. Tanami Gold’s Coyote gold mine, on the border with Western Australia, is currently under construction and may provide significant employment opportunities in the region
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Regional Demographics
Population
The Central region population is 39 888 with Alice Springs home to 26 305 people, or 65% of the total population in the Central region. The 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census reported that 35 311 people usually live in the region.
By 2021 the population is expected to rise to 44 635, based on medium growth predictions. Indigenous people make up 38.3% (13 528) of the Central region's total population.
Source: ABS Catalogue 3201.0 Population by Age and Sex, Australian States and Territories, June 2007
ABS, Special Data Request, 2008
ABS Regional Statistics 2006: NT 1362
Next census due in August 2011, and data expected by early 2012 .
Median Age |
The median age for the Central region is 30 years and 33 years for Alice Springs. |
Working Age |
Eighty per cent (26 539) of the Central region's population is of working age (between 15-64 years) with 18 316 persons of working age living in Alice Springs. |
Average Number of Household Occupants |
Households in Alice Springs average 3.1 occupants. |
Median Housing Loan Repayment |
The median housing loan repayment for Alice Springs at the time of the 2006 census was $1213 per month. |
Median Weekly Household Income |
The median weekly household income for Alice Springs was $919 at the time of the 2006 Census. |
ABS 2006 Census QuickStats: Alice Springs (T) excl. Town Camps (Indigenous Area)
Next census due in August 2011, and data expected by early 2012.
Economy
Employment in Alice Springs is dominated by:
- public administration and safety (excluding defence), accounting for 17% of employment.
- The region accounts for 18% of employment in the Northern Territory. The Central region has workers in:
- accommodation and food services (25% of people employed persons in this industry are in the Central region)
- health care and social assistance (23%)
- arts and recreation services (22%)
- mining (10%)
- manufacturing (10%).
Occupation profiles within Alice Springs include:
- professionals, 20% of the workforce
- community and personal service workers, 15% of the workforce.
Source: ABS Basic Community Profiles, Census 2006
ABS, Special Data Request, 2008
Next census due in August 2011, and data expected by early 2012 .
Key Industries
Tourism
During 2008, Alice Springs and the Macdonnell regions attracted 436 000 visitors, spending on average five nights in the regions.
Source: Tourism NT
Agriculture
In 2008-09, the value of agricultural production from the Central region was estimated at $82.3 million. This represented 15.3% of total Territory agricultural production. Pastoral production contributed $56 million, horticulture $9 million and field crops $0.3 million.
Mining
In 2007-08, production of minerals and petroleum in the Central region was valued at $241 million, representing 8.4% of Northern Territory onshore mining production value, and was mainly from gold. The region produced more than 73% of the Northern Territory’s gold.
Industry Representative Bodies
Central Australia Tourism Office
Government Support
The Regional Economic Development Fund
The Regional Economic Development Fund assists with the development of business and industry capability in all regions of the Northern Territory.
Department of Housing, Local Government and Regional Services
Alice Springs Office
Phone: + 61 8 8951 8510
Content current at 30 April 2010.