Rural communities

Introduction

This chapter looks at the basic features of rural communities in Australia and discusses key responses to change. Some rural communities have the industrial and natural capacity to cope well with change. Many rural communities are in decline from a decrease in jobs and population levels. See image 1

Rural communities

There are several towns or cities (urban centres) located within rural communities that are found in country areas of Australia. Some rural communities are centred on the dominant type of employment or industry, such as tourism or mining. These rural communities thrive and develop if the industry thrives. A rural community can have a dominant industry and be specialised for this purpose. A community is multifunctional if it has a combination of two or more functions related to mining, manufacturing, administration, transport, communication and service provision (like recreation and tourism).

Rural communities such as those in Queensland and Western Australia have mining as their dominant industry and way of life. Transport is the specialist function in rural communities such as Port Augusta in South Australia, where many people work in rail and road transport industries. Administration is an industry occurring in many rural communities. It involves the operations and services provided by local government and government offices (State and Commonwealth). Service provision such as tourism and recreation is the dominant industry in areas such as the Gold Coast and Surfers Paradise on Queensland's east coast, or Port Macquarie on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. Some rural communities such as those in Sydney's Blue Mountains or The Central Coast act as 'satellite' or 'dormitory' towns or cities. Their function is mainly to provide residences for people who travel to the city for work, but who wish to live outside the city.

There is a range of general demographic features in rural towns and communities compared with urban communities: lower incomes, higher unemployment, a lower proportion of working women, more people are married, more cars per household, more men than women, a higher proportion of Aboriginal peoples, younger school leavers, more children per couple, higher levels of home ownership, more Christians, fewer immigrants and fewer young adults. Tamworth is a large rural community based on the Peel River in northern NSW. Its major demographics could be regarded as characteristic (typical) of rural communities: 90.5 per cent Australian born, only 1.7 per cent speak a language other than English at home, only 0.3 per cent are non-Christians; an Anglo-Australian culture dominates in a current population of 35 500. Many of you may know Tamworth as the 'country music centre' of Australia, with its annual country music festival and culture. See image 2

Responding to change in rural communities

Some rural communities adapt well to change by finding alternative ways to create jobs and sustain lifestyles. For example, some rural communities have successfully changed their land use to maintain a standard of living. New crops like sunflowers and grapes provide jobs and economic stability; so does the conversion (change) of small farms into larger ones and the conversion of unproductive farms into bed-and-breakfast accommodation. Technology has been used innovatively, for example, with satellite monitoring of soil salinity and health.

The reverse problem can of course occur. When employment and industry decline, a rural community may decline (meaning a reduction in job numbers, weekly pay and a drop in living standards). For example, rural communities centred on industrial manufacturing of building or industrial products have suffered from an industrial downturn, leading to the need to diversify forms of employment. In short, many of Australia's rural communities are experiencing the pressure of change: globalisation leading to falling commodity (goods) prices, droughts, and job losses from technological change. A signal of this change is often a significant decline in the population of a rural community, whereby people move to urban areas and cities in search of new employment (such as to Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Bathurst or capital cities like Sydney and Melbourne). The major problem and demographic trend in rural communities is population decline; as discussed, there are long term social and economic impacts on rural communities. See image 3 and animation 1

There has been immense pressure on farmers to sustain their farms and livelihood. A combination of drought, lack of rainfall, poor export prices and cheap imports has forced many farm closures. In some cases, large businesses or corporations have moulded smaller unprofitable farms into larger operations, with a range of outcomes for the traditional farmers. The catch-cry is 'adapt, change or perish'. Many rural communities have had their government-funded railways suspended or closed, with negative effects for human and goods transport. Many large banks have closed rural branches to cut costs, with little regard for the communities they once served; many small rural businesses and individuals have gone bankrupt without crucial financial support. There has been a retail downturn in local and small rural businesses, with improved transport to the larger 'urban' regional centres (for example, Dubbo and Tamworth in NSW).

There are many associated demographic trends and issues occurring in rural communities. Young male suicide is alarmingly 3 times higher than it was 30 years ago. Over 120 bank branches have closed, whilst over 30 000 public service jobs have been cut; unemployment is on the increase, as are crime rates. Meanwhile, the income average in rural communities is low compared to national averages and the population growth rate has decreased. Overall, one in three towns is 'dying', as their youth are forced to internally migrate to the cities in search of educational opportunities and employment.