Business Case for the SunShine CoaSt airport Master Plan

Business Case for the Sunshine Coast Airport n Master Plan (November 2009)
It is estimated the Sunshine Coast as
a region supports a total workforce
of approximately 100,000 FTE
employees. The airport, therefore,
contributes approximately 4.4 per
cent of the region’s total employment.
The indirect impacts of the airport
(based on visitor expenditure and
flow-on effects) are significant,
accounting for over 72 per cent of
total airport-related expenditure and
66 per cent of total airport-related
value added benefits to the regional
economy.
Of all industries, tourism contributes
the most to the GRP of the Sunshine
Coast at approximately 17 per cent.
This is followed by retail, construction
and health and community services at
approximately 8 per cent each.
02.6.2 South-East Queensland
regional economy
The SCA is a major commercial
aviation hub in South-East Queensland
and as a regional airport is likely
to service not only the immediate
Sunshine Coast regional population
but also populations further afield. SCA
is increasingly likely to draw airport
passengers from other regions outside
the current catchment area.
A total population base of at least 1.8
million people (2006) can be found
within a 100 kilometres radius of SCA
with a reach stretching from Brisbane
in the south, to Cooloola in the north
and west to Esk. This catchment area
is expected to be home to a projected
population of about 2.4 million people
by 2026.
02.6.3 Sunshine Coast in the
national economy
The Sunshine Coast region is one of
the most dynamic population centres
in Australia with one of the highest
economic growth rates in the country.
In the five years to June 2008,
Australia recorded an average
growth in GDP of 3.3 per cent, while
Queensland’s GSP grew by 5.2 per
cent over the same period 6 .
By comparison (as outlined above)
the Sunshine Coast’s GRP in 2006/07
made up 6.0 per cent of the GSP, with
the region experiencing an average
annual growth of 12.0 per cent in
the five years prior to that, exceeding
Queensland’s average growth over
this period.
The Sunshine Coast, therefore,
contributes a significant economic
percentage to the state economy
and, in turn, the national GDP.
Population forecasts
02.7 Population
forecasts
The Sunshine Coast region is
expected to outperform other
regions and the national average
in population growth rate in
coming years, with the population
projected to grow by a further 70
per cent to 500,000 people by
2031.
This rate of growth is substantially
higher than Brisbane and Moreton
Bay and greater than the rate of
growth expected on the Gold Coast,
as the table below shows:
This project develops new
infrastructure required to cater for
the relatively high levels of population
growth expected to be experienced in
the region to 2031.
2001 2006 2011 2021 2031
Sunshine Coast 247,000 295,000 340,000 421,000 501,000
% Annual growth rate
Sunshine Coast 3.0% 2.4% 1.9%
South-East Queensland 2.5% 2.0% 1.4%
Queensland 2.3% 1.8% 1.4%
Australia 1.09% 0.96% 0.77%
Source: Queensland’s Future Population (DIP 2008) and ABS Population Projections Reissue
No. 3222.0 June 2006
Table 01 Population forecasts for the Sunshine Coast region.
6
Tourism Futures International – SCA
Traffic Forecast Report August 2009.
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