7.5 INLAND NSW

STRONGER REGIONAL CENTRES AND A HEALTHY AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY

- Inland New South Wales region covers an area of 662,800 square kilometres or 82 per cent of the State's land area and includes the major centres of Broken Hill in the west; Wagga Wagga and Albury to the south; Tamworth, Armidale and Moree to the north; and Orange, Dubbo, Bathurst, and Lithgow midway along the eastern border.

- Inland New South Wales is diverse and includes the sub-regional areas of Northern, North Western, Central West, Far West, Murrumbidgee and Murray. Agricultural and mining are the major industries together with large manufacturing, higher education and tourism sectors.

- Population projections for Inland New South Wales indicate an increase of some 9,910 people, or 1.3 per cent between 2006 and 2016. In the inland areas of the State, the largest population increases are projected in the Central West, Murrumbidgee and Murray. In terms of age the regional change is not expected to be uniform with:

• the population aged 0-14 years falling by 14.8 per cent

• the population aged 15-64 years remaining about the same

• the population aged over 65 years increasing by 29.2 per cent

SOURCE: NEW SOUTH WALES STATE AND REGIONAL POPULATION PROJECTIONS 2001 - 2051, 2005, TRANSPORT AND POPULATION DATA CENTRE

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