ECONOMIC
RESULTS
unchanged
high
confidence
ECONOMIC HEALTH RESULTS
The following graph shows the scores received in 2022 (top line) versus the score received in 2019 for each indicator (bottom row)
Very good (0.85-1.00)
Good (0.65-0.84)
Satisfactory (0.5-0.64)
Poor (0.25-0.49)
Very Poor (0.00-0.24)
No data available
RESULTS
The overall Economic score for 2022 was 0.76 (B). This grade was calculated from the economic performance, economic stimulus and economic value (recreation) indicator groups. Of those indicator groups, economic performance received the highest score of 0.90 (A), economic value (recreation) received a score of 0.77 (B) and economic stimulus received a score of 0.64 (C).
Economic Performance Results
Economic Stimulus Results
Economic Value Results
WHAT WAS MEASURED?
ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE
The economic performance indicator group consisted of three indicators based on key industries using the harbour, shipping, tourism and commercial fishing.
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Shipping
Data on monthly shipping movements were provided by the Gladstone Ports Corporation. The score for shipping activity was based on a capacity utilisation (current level of activity relative to potential level of activity) estimate. To determine the score data for the 2021–22 financial year were compared to a 10-year baseline dataset from 2012–13 to 2021–22.
Tourism
The score for tourism was based on expenditure on hotel accommodation, food and other local services relative to a 10-year average from 2009-10 to 2018–19 in the Gladstone region. Since 2017 the tourism indicator has been supplemented by expenditure made by passengers and crew members of cruise ships docked at Gladstone Port.
Commercial fishing
The score for commercial fishing was based on fishing effort and the value of the landed catch in three fishery sectors: the net (fish), pot (mud crab) and otter trawl (prawns) relative to a 10-year average starting from 2012–13. The line fishing measure was excluded from 2018 owing to considerable data gaps over the past 10 years and the very small size of this fishery.
Fishing production data collected from the Gladstone area (Grid S30) was used as the primary data source for the commercial fishing indicator.
The total value of commercial fishing was estimated based on catch data by fishing method derived from the QFish database and the average prices for each species group (fish, prawns and crabs) derived from the most recent Australian fisheries and aquaculture statistics report.
The three fisheries sector scores were weighted by their relative contribution to Gross Value Production.
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ECONOMIC STIMULUS
The economic stimulus indicator group consisted of two indicators: employment and socio-economic status.
The score for employment measures the unemployment rate for the Gladstone Local Government Area compared to unemployment rates in all Queensland Local Government Areas. This comparison used the most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data available, which were for the 2021 December quarter.
The score for socio-economic status was derived using the Index of Economic Resources (IER). The IER was calculated using Australian census data and refined using data from a Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) survey of 200 Gladstone residents conducted in June 2022.
ECONOMIC VALUE (RECREATION)
The economic value (recreation) indicator group was assessed through four indicators, land-based recreation, recreational fishing, beach recreation and water-based recreation (non-fishing). The score for this indicator is based on the mean satisfaction rating by those who undertook the activity and the economic value of the recreational trips.
Information on the non-market economic value (recreation) of harbour area activities was collected through a community survey of 200 people within the Gladstone region via a CATI survey. Data on travel costs, travel time, and other access and site costs were used to calculate the economic value of using a recreational site based on the investment that people have made in the activity. In 2014 the economic value of land-based ($61 per trip) and beach-based recreational trip ($40 per trip) were estimated. Additional information was collected in 2018 to estimate the value of a recreational fishing trip ($141) and water-based recreation ($95). The per trip recreational values will be updated once every five years.
ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE
The overall economic performance score of 0.90 was strongly influenced by the high score for shipping activity (0.90) and tourism (0.90). While the score for commercial fishing (0.41) was lower, it did not impact the overall score owing to the weighting system employed.
Shipping
The shipping indicator received a very good score of 0.90 the seventh consecutive year this indicator has received a very good score.
Tourism
The tourism indicator received a very good score of 0.90 the sixth consecutive year this indicator has received a very good score.
Commercial fishing
The tourism indicator received a poor score of 0.41, the sixth consecutive year this indicator has received a poor score.
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WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Economic performance assesses the performance of three key industries based in Gladstone.
Shipping activity provides a proxy for economic activity in key exports such as coal and gas, as well as the imports and exports associated with harbour-based industries such as mineral processing. The high score for shipping activity confirms that these export-focused industries are generating a major economic stimulus to the local economy. Tourism and fishing remain important sectors for the harbour-based city of Gladstone.
The commercial fishing indicator score remains low. However, this result must be interpreted cautiously as there have been some missing data in the QFish database that have affected data for both the current and previous years. Additionally, the measure for line fishing was removed in 2018 as it contained multiple data gaps and was a very small fishery. However, the low grade is largely driven by lower activity in the net and trawl sectors.
ECONOMIC STIMULUS
The score for economic stimulus of 0.64 (C) was aggregated from the scores of two indicators, employment 0.45 (D) and socio-economic status 0.74 (C). Employment has received poor scores since 2018 and socio-economic status received a good score after receiving satisfactory scores in 2018 and 2019.
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Economic stimulus captures the potential stimulus from economic activities that may flow through to the community.
While the economic stimulus indicator has increased by 0.10 since 2019 it has declined by 0.23 since 2014. This may be the result of a in the socio-economic conditions in the Gladstone area. However the 0.10 increase since 2019 may be a result of the Gladstone area being less heavily impacted by Covid-related disruptions than larger urban areas in Australia.
ECONOMIC VALUE
The overall indicator group score for economic value (recreation) was 0.77 (B) similar to the score of 0.76 recorded in 2019 and the scores for all indicators were similar to 2019. Land based recreation was 0.79, recreational fishing 0.73, beach recreation and water-based recreation were both 0.77.
The most popular land-based activities were walking, picnicking or barbecuing and relaxing by the water along the shores of Gladstone Harbour. The most popular beach visited by the survey participants was Tannum Sands followed by Spinnaker Park and Boyne Island. Land-based and beach recreational activities were much more prevalent than recreational fishing and other water-based recreation.
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WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Economic value (recreation) assesses community enjoyment from the harbour through recreational activities. The economic contribution of harbour-based recreation can be assessed by how much of that wealth is spent on recreational activities in the harbour.
The results indicate that land-based recreation was the most important recreational activity followed by beach recreation and recreational fishing based on average annual values of recreational trips for 2022. This pattern was same as observed in previous years.