Council News Issue No: 151
CITY OF WAGGA WAGGA
Weekly information from us to you
FIRST PRINTED SATURDAY 1 JULY 2017
Hogging the limelight You would be hopping mad to miss a visit to the Botanic Gardens Zoo and Aviary this school holidays. The farm yard is ‘bacon’ at the seams after some new, furry faces moved in. The zoo keepers are pleased to introduce five baby rabbits and three little pigs to the zoo family. “Our very cute baby rabbits were born on 1 June to two of our resident mother rabbits. The pigs are about 10 weeks old and relocated to the zoo from a farm not too far out of Wagga Wagga,” Zoo Curator Kira McBeath said.
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THREE LITTLE PIGS: Botanic Gardens Zoo Curator Kira McBeath with one of the three new little pigs at the Botanic Gardens farmyard. Inset: Two of the five new baby bunnies also now on show at the zoo.
Census highlights Wagga’s liveability With affordable housing and other high quality living indicators, the latest Census data shows that the Wagga Wagga region is in the hot seat to attract wandering city dwellers. The Mayor of the City of Wagga Wagga, Councillor Greg Conkey OAM, says this is further proof that our city is the place to be. “Those of us that live here already know what a wonderful place Wagga is, whether you are looking to establish
a career, start an innovative business, raise a family or retire, and the 2016 Census data confirms that,” he said. “With our population growing steadily and the right ingredients, such as low unemployment in place to attract new residents, as a Council we need to make sure that when people get here they stay. “By investing in infrastructure such as Bomen Enabling Roads and the proposed Riverina Intermodal Freight and Logistics Hub (RiFL) we are ensuring that there will be plenty of long-term jobs.” Councillor Conkey added that initiatives, such as the Wagga Wagga Integrated Transport Strategy and Implementation Plan 2040, Wagga View: Community Strategic Plan and
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the Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2017-2021 demonstrates Council’s commitment to developing the Wagga Wagga Local Government Area as a place that is thriving, connected, innovative and inclusive. “This data will further help Council staff analyse the changing face of Wagga and allow Councillors to make decisions that benefit our community and continues to enhance our city’s livability,” he said. “Another indicator of our wonderful sense of community is that more than ten thousand people volunteer their time through an organisation or group, which is higher than the state and national average. “I look forward to the full release of results in October this year.”
KEY CENSUS RESULTS FOR THE WAGGA WAGGA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
Population: 62,385 (usual place of residence) 4.9% increase on 2011 Census Personal income: the median weekly income for people in Wagga is $696 compared to $664 in NSW and $662 nationally Household income: the median weekly income for Wagga households is $1354 compared to $1486 in NSW and $1438 nationally Rent weekly payments: the median rent in Wagga Wagga is $265 compared to $380 for NSW and $335 nationally Mortgage monthly repayments: in Wagga Wagga 4.9% of households have a mortgage repayment greater than 30% of household income compared to the NSW average of 7.4% Voluntary work through and organisation or group: 10,861 (21.9%, above the NSW average of 18.1%)
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