Fact Sheet
Sustainability September 2012
Sustainability (in a natural environment context) addresses the protection and enhancement of ecosystems to ensure their viability into the future. It is important in making sure that we have and will continue to have clean air, water, biodiversity and resources to protect human health and our environment. It is also important to achieve social and economic sustainability as it is interconnected with the environment, and health and wellbeing of the community.
Transport The World Health Organization advises: “Healthy transport means less driving and more walking and cycling, backed up by better public transport.” “Cycling, walking and the use of public transport promote health in four ways: provide exercise, reduce fatal accidents, increase social contact and reduce air pollution.” 1
How people travelled to work on Census day (2006)2 Mode of Transport
Greater Bendigo (%)
Regional Victoria (%)
Train
0.3
0.9
Bus
0.8
0.7
Taxi
0.2
0.1
66.4
62.5
Car – as passenger
6.1
5.5
Motorbike
0.5
0.6
Bike
1.2
1.1
Walked
4.0
5.1
Car – as driver
City of Greater Bendigo – Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan
Number of registered motor vehicles per household (2011)3 Greater Bendigo
Victoria
Number
%
Number
%
2,659
7.0
164,030
8.4
1 motor vehicle
12,890
33.7
673,937
34.7
2 motor vehicles 3 or more motor vehicles Not Stated
14,388
37.6
720,287
37.0
7,120
18.6
327,268
16.8
1,162
3.0
59,167
3.0
None
Transport Limitations Transport limitations are measured by asking respondents if their day to day travel had been restricted or limited. In 2007, 20.9% of residents in Greater Bendigo had experienced transport limitations in the previous year compared to 20.3% in Victoria.4 Of the respondents of the Bendigo Wellbeing Survey, 22.7% have difficulty accessing private or public transport services to meet their needs and 30.6% anticipated that in the future someone in their household would have difficulty with transport in the next five years.5 In Greater Bendigo, only 37% of the population live near public transport. This is substantially lower compared to Victoria which is 72%.4
Commuting Locally Between August and October 2011, 31.4% of residents in Greater Bendigo had never used V-Line public transport services, 62.1% had never used other local transport services and 34.7% had never commuted by bicycle or walked.5 Public transport journeys in Greater Bendigo increased by 22% (83 to 457) since 1996. 6
Sustainability Fact Sheet page 2
City of Greater Bendigo – Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan
Housing Building Approvals7 Residential building approval statistics are used as an indicator of the general level of economic activity, employment and investment in an area.
Social Housing Number of private dwellings rented by landlord type (2006 and 2011) 8
Greater Bendigo
Victoria
State Government Housing Authority
Housing Cooperative, community or church group
Total
% off all occupied, rented private dwellings
2006
1,479
306
1,785
20.1
2011
1,549
218
1,830
18.0
2006
54,522
7,467
61,989
14.1
2011
54,766
8,835
63,601
12.3
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City of Greater Bendigo – Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan
Public Housing Public Housing waiting list for Bendigo (March 2012)9 Early Housing
Wait Turn
Total
319
809
1,128
Early Housing – for people who are experiencing, or at risk of recurring homelessness, people with a disability that have significant support needs and people with special housing needs. Wait Turn – for eligible people on low incomes.8 Suburbs that have waiting lists include Bendigo, California Gully, Eaglehawk, East Bendigo and Epsom.10 In Australia, the proportion of people with a disability in public housing is double that of the general population.11
Household Size/Tenure Average Household Size 20118 2006
2011
Greater Bendigo
2.5
2.5
Victoria
2.6
2.6
Housing Tenure (2011)3 Occupied private dwellings 40 35 Percentage (%)
30 25 2006
20
2011
15 10 5 0 Fully owned
Being purchased
Rented
Other
Housing Tenure
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Not stated
City of Greater Bendigo – Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan
Median Prices17 Median House Prices 500,000 450,000 400,000 Dollars ($)
350,000 300,000
Greater Bendigo
250,000
Victoria
200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Year
Median Unit Prices 450,000 400,000
Dollars ($)
350,000 300,000 250,000
Greater Bendigo
200,000
Victoria
150,000 100,000 50,000 0 2007
2008
2009
2010
Year
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2011
City of Greater Bendigo – Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan
Median Land Prices 180,000 160,000
Dollars ($)
140,000 120,000 100,000
Greater Bendigo Victoria
80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0 2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Year
Land18 In Greater Bendigo, land zonings as at 2011 are as follows: Business Land Use - <1% Residential Land Use – 3.5% Industrial Land Use – <1% Rural Land Use – 72.4% Other Land Use – 23.5%
Rateable Properties19 Number of residential, farm, commercial/industrial and vacant properties in Greater Bendigo
0 Residential 2007/2008
Farm 2008/2009
Commmercial 2009/2010
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2010/2011
Vacant 2011/2012
4,739
4,799
4,912
4,744
4,906
3,276
3,195
3,128
3,133
1,268
1,283
1,311
1,332
1,349
15,000
3,240
42,678
41,663
40,849
39,984
30,000
39,460
45,000
City of Greater Bendigo â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan
Resource Consumption & Environmental Sustainability
Climate Change20 Greater Bendigo
Victoria
Feel very well informed about climate change
24.0
23.0
Believe there is a real link between the energy they use and climate change
71.0
68.0
Can feel a growing pressure to change the way they live to reduce the impact of climate change
72.0
75.0
% people who:
The North Central Region, which Bendigo falls under, is to expect higher temperatures in summer, lower rainfall in Spring and fewer rainy days but increasing rainfall intensity by the year 2070 if current climate situations are to continue.21 Heatwaves can affect anyone in the population. However, there are certain groups of people who are more susceptible to the health impacts of heat than others. These include the elderly, infants and young children and other vulnerable members of the community. There is evidence that shows the rate of death and disability increases during times of extreme heat. 22
Air20 Greater Bendigo % people who: Have used public transport, cycled or walked for short trips of about 2kms Have not travelled by plane in the last 12 months Have travelled by plane and offset CO² emissions
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41.0
Victoria 55.0
62.0
46.0
5.0
7.0
City of Greater Bendigo â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan
Energy20 Greater Bendigo
Victoria
Solar hot water system
8.0
3.0
Solar panels to generate electricity
3.0
2.0
Insulation
86.0
79.0
An electric clothes dryer
55.0
56.0
Two or more refrigerators
61.0
48.0
Two or more TV sets
70.0
64.0
One or more computers
83.0
84.0
Greater Bendigo
Victoria
Dual-flush toilet cisterns
92.0
88.0
Water efficient, low flow showerheads
77.0
71.0
Rainwater tanks
63.0
34.0
Front loading washing machine Professionally installed grey water recycling system % of people who collected/recycled water23
34.0
28.0
16.0
8.0
92.2
74.8
% of households with:
Water20 % households with:
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City of Greater Bendigo â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan
Waste and Recycling20 Greater Bendigo
Victoria
27.0
43.0
2.0
64.0
52.0
44.0
% households: whose waste was recycled 23 Who have a bin for green/garden waste Who often composted food/garden waste in the 12 months
Number of residential properties receiving garbage and recycling collection19 2007/2008
2008/2009
2009/2010
2010/2011
40,021
40,592
41,161
42,739
Tonnes of garbage and recycling collected19
Total tonnes of waste received at Eaglehawk Landfill Complex19 2007/2008
104,388
2008/2009
112,807
2009/2010
102,740
2010/2011
121,177
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City of Greater Bendigo – Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan
Food
Food Security Greater Bendigo (%)19
Victoria (%)23
% of people who don’t always have the type of food they want, because they are too expensive
38.1
6.0
% people who don’t always have the type of food they want, because they can not get the variety
19.2
N/A
% of people who don’t always have the type of food they want as culturally appropriate are not available
10.5
N/A
% of people who don’t always have the type of food they want due to inadequate or unreliable public transport
10.4
N/A
Please note: the data for Greater Bendigo and Victoria are from two different years and data sources.
In 2008, 7.6% of the population in Greater Bendigo had run out of food in the previous 12 months and could not afford to buy more. This was higher compared to 5.6% in Victoria.8
Food and Climate Change The region has been subject to years of drought followed by extreme rain and flooding. These weather conditions have a significant impact on the types and quantity of food grown and can increase food prices dramatically. Decreased yields also put a reliance on food imports which can lead to economic and environmental issues. Climate change presents a great challenge to our global, national, state, regional, municipal and household food security and the variety of food available to the community to ensure a healthy and balanced diet.24
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City of Greater Bendigo – Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan
References 1
World Health Organization (2003) Social Determinants of Health [online]. Available: http://www.who.int/social_determinants/en/ 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011) 2011 Census of Housing and Population: Basic Community Profile [online]. Available: www.abs.gov.au 3 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011) Greater Bendigo 2011 Census Quickstats [online]. Available: http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2011/quickstat/LGA22620?opendocument&navpos=220 4 Goldfields Local Learning and Employment Network (2011) School Business Community Partnership Brokers Environmental Scan [online]. Available: http://www.gllen.org.au/Local_Data.asp 5 City of Greater Bendigo (2012) Bendigo Wellbeing Survey – Report Card [online]. Available: http://www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/News/Current_Projects/Bendigo_Wellbeing_Survey 6 Department of Transport (2012) Victorian Transport Atlas – Greater Bendigo [online]. Available: http://www.transport.vic.gov.au/research/statistics/victorian-transport-atlas/regional-councils 7 .id (2011) Community Profile - Building Approvals [online]. Available: http://profile.id.com.au/Default.aspx?id=134&pg=220&gid=10&type=enum 8 Bendigo Loddon Primary Care Partnership (2012) Community Health and Wellbeing Profile [online]. Available: http://www.blpcp.com.au/planning/index.aspx 9 Department of Human Services (2011) Public Housing Transfer and Waiting List [online]. Available: http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/about-the-department/documents-and-resources/research,-data-and-statistics/public-housing-waitingand-transfer-list 10 Department of Human Services (2011) Public Housing Waiting List Areas [online]. Available: http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/about-the-department/documents-and-resources/reports-publications/public-housing-waiting-list-areas 11 VicHealth (2012) Disability and Health Inequalities in Australia: Research Summary [online]. Available: http://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/Publications/Health-Inequalities/Disability-and-health-inequalities-in-Australia.aspx 17 City of Greater Dandenong (2012) Profiles of Victorian Communities [online]. Available: http://www.socialstatistics.com.au/ 18 Department of Health (2011) 2011 Local Government Area Profiles [online]. Available: http://www.health.vic.gov.au/modelling/planning/lga.htm 19 City of Greater Bendigo (2011) Annual Report 2010/11 [online]. Available: http://www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/News/Publications 20 Department of Sustainability and Environment (2009) 2009 Green Light Report [online]. Available: http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/www/html/3197-2009-green-light-report.asp 21 State Government of Victoria (2011) Understanding Climate Change [online]. Available: http://www.climatechange.vic.gov.au/regional-projections/north-central 22 Department of Health (2011) The population health impacts of heat [online]. Available: http://docs.health.vic.gov.au/docs/doc/65AE7A1D86B4E057CA25796E00061602/$FILE/The%20population%20health%20impa cts%20of%20heat.pdf 23 Community Indicators Victoria (2007) Greater Bendigo Wellbeing Report [online]. Available: http://www.communityindicators.net.au/wellbeing_reports/greater_bendigo 24 Leah Galvin (2012) Food for Thought – Greater Bendigo Food Research Paper
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City of Greater Bendigo â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan
For further information please contact the Social Planning Team on 5434 6079 or socialplanning@bendigo.vic.gov.au or visit the website www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/healthandwellbeing
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