Article by Charlie Peel, courtesy of the Australian.
Cost-of-living pressure is the most universal issue among regional Australians, who say reducing price increases for household bills and other essential expenses should be a government priority.
The issue was the standout concern for the 2021 Australians surveyed for the Mood of the Bush reports compiled for News Corp to coincide with the return of the annual Bush Summit.
Crime, housing affordability and healthcare also featured highly as issues for both metro and regional residents, but the survey identified more people living outside the capital cities rated their quality of life positively.
Conducted by SEC Newgate, the survey asked respondents to list the specific cares, concerns and priorities they faced.
Unprompted, 74 per cent of the 1244 regional respondents rated cost of living as the biggest issue.
Next most concerning was housing affordability at 28 per cent, followed by crime at 18 per cent and healthcare at 16 per cent.
While cost-of-living pressures were universal, the survey results showed the mood on some key issues differed from state to state.
Regional Victorians were notably less worried about housing affordability than other states, but they were comparatively more concerned about crime.
Crime was also a higher concern in regional Queensland, where 27 per cent of respondents raised it as a priority.
Surging crime rates have thrust the issue into the spotlight ahead of the state election in October, with the Miles government bracing for a voter backlash in the regions.
In Tasmania, healthcare rated more highly than in the mainland states, but Tasmanians were less concerned about energy prices.
Climate change was mentioned by an average of 8 per cent of regional respondents. It was of notably less concern among regional Victorians, with just 3 per cent raising it as an issue.
The survey identified that issues in the bush were mostly reflected in the capital cities, but where they differed provided telling information about the need for improved services in regional areas.
Respondents were asked to list a number of subjects in order of importance. Investing more to improve the aged-care sector and strengthening the response to violence against women rated more importantly to those in regional Australia compared to metropolitan areas.
According to the federal health department, even though older people make up a greater part of the population in rural communities, fewer aged care services are available than in major cities.
And data from the Australian Institute of Family Studies shows domestic violence rates are higher in regional, rural and remote areas and are exacerbated by geographical and social factors such as community gossip and lack of privacy in small towns.
As well as the need to improve aged care and healthcare services, the survey identified an infrastructure gap in regional Australia, particularly in the quality of roads and rail infrastructure.
Despite the challenges, 81 per cent of regional Australians rated their quality of life as “good” or “very good”, up from 76 per cent when the survey was conducted in 2022.
Residents of regional Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia were slightly happier with their quality of life than in other states.
About one in five people living in a state capital said they would consider moving to a regional area within the next two years.
Close to two thirds living in regional Australia supported policies, programs and incentives to encourage more people to consider moving to regional and rural Australia.
Peter Dutton last week said the Coalition was considering how to implement tax breaks in regional areas to encourage regional migration and provide cost-of-living relief.
Bush Summits are being held around Australia and will bring together decision-makers and industry leaders to discuss the biggest issues facing regional businesses and communities.
