Mid West shire presidents on population declines in their towns as highlighted by ABS census

Population drift is hurting rural communities in the Mid West, with some towns experiencing double-digit falls in the 2021 census. Released last week, the census revealed the City of Greater Geraldton’s population had risen 2.18 per cent since the last census in 2016. However, outlying communities have seen a decline. The town of Mullewa, according to the census, has seen a population drop of 22.66 per cent, leaving it with 356 residents. City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said there were obvious factors contributing to the loss of residents that were not unique to Mullewa, and slow decreases in regional towns were common throughout the district. “In Mullewa, the constant delays on hospital upgrades drives the population away, as well as the delay in government services. It’s a decline in really small rural towns across the Mid West as regional cities take on more population,” he said. In other double-digit decreases, Walkaway’s population fell by 19.51 per cent, Morawa by 12.76 per cent and Mingenew by 11.14 per cent. Mr Van Styn said the Walkaway result was reflective of aggregation in agriculture and farms requiring less labour. “Surrounding farming is becoming more automated and are destocking, they require less people to be present,” he said. Mr Van Styn said he believed the population in Walkaway would continue to decline if the Northampton-Geraldton-Dongara bypass route was confirmed, stating “there’s no question in future censuses that it definitely would”. Morawa Shire president Karen Chappel believed the population decline indicated in the census was inaccurate, and the Morawa Shire would be taking a closer look at the data. “I don’t believe all the data was collected, there were some gaps in the data collection. We will be looking at what processes are available for review,” she said. Cr Chappel said Morawa had seen increased populations in schools and minimal housing availability, suggesting an overall rise in people calling the shire home. Mingenew’s 11.14 per cent decrease was disheartening for Shire president Gary Cosgrove, and although he was disappointed and frustrated, he said it was not unexpected. “There’s no government jobs in these small communities — they’ve all been transferred to Geraldton. The decline of the wool and sheep industry has resulted in all the shearers moving out,” he said. Cr Cosgrove said losing the sheep industry meant jobs were no longer available and farms surrounding the town were predominately cropping. “Population will have a further impact on the Shire’s ability to finance itself,” he said. “A lot of people working inland travel from the coast, so am wondering if the rising fuel costs may play a part in people choosing to live in these towns.” Northampton Shire president Liz Sudlow shared similar emotions when informed of the data marking Northampton’s population decrease of 2.81 per cent. “One recent and direct factor would be the effect of cyclone Seroja, which damaged or destroyed up to 70 per cent of buildings in the towns of Northampton and Kalbarri,” she said. “Some residential properties — which prior to the cyclone were rented to long-term tenants — have swapped to short-term holiday accommodation websites such as Airbnb, and this has negatively affected the rental market.” Ms Sudlow said Northampton’s proximity to Geraldton and the coast provided an advantage and was a great place to live. “While overall across the Shire of Northampton there was a decrease, the populations of Northampton and Horrocks have actually increased slightly,” she said.