Social Demographics

Horticulture supports approximately 3070 businesses in the Murray Valley ( which includes Sunraysia and Swan Hill) over a total irrigated area of 67,000ha. ('Meeting the crisis in the Murray Darling Basin - A submission on behalf of Horticultural industries, May 2007').

The 2006 report, Mildura Social Indicators uses mostly Australian Bureau of Statistics data to quantify key social indicators for Mildura and adjoining communities of NSW, and make comparisons with Melbourne and the rest of regional Victoria. Some key indicators are listed below;

• Like most of regional Victoria, Mildura has more people 65 and over than Melbourne and fewer people between 20 and 44
• Like most of regional Victoria, Mildura has more families who are low income and less educated.
• Taxable incomes are substantially below that of Melbourne
• Mildura has a relatively high percentage of residents who may be impeded from being engaged by lack of spoken English
• There has been a modest increase in the percentage of professionals in Mildura in the last decade
• Agriculture forestry and fishing make up 60% of the businesses. Employment in Agriculture, forestry and fisheries in Sunraysia increased by 10.5% between 1991 and 2001 (DSE).
• Mildura's unemployment rate is below that of regional Victoria but slightly higher than Melbourne
• Tourism to Mildura has gone up with overnight visitors increasing by 10% between 1999 and 2004

The report also highlights major differences between Mildura Central and other parts of the Mildura Rural City Council area. One example of this is that while population growth between 1991 and 2001 in Mildura was 14.9%, over that time, the population of the rest of the shire fell by 21%. Mildura City is the 'centre of both industrial and social activity' of the area. (http://www.btre.gov.au/info.aspx?ResourceId=5&NodeId=131)