BALLARAT’S rise to a population of 100,000 was dealt a blow by yesterday’s census data, which showed recent modelling data had over-estimated by around 7000.
The city’s population has grown 9.7 per cent in the past five years and currently stands at 93,500.
City of Ballarat chief executive officer Anthony Schinck said the figure was inconsistent with Australian Bureau of Statistics data released last year.
“On the positive side it shows an annual population growth rate of 1.95 per cent, which means around 1600 new residents each year,” he said.
“That is faster than other regional cities including Bendigo and Geelong, and we find that to be very encouraging.”
Mr Schinck said council officers would closely study the newly-released information and include it in future planning.
“Our current work has positioned us well for the target of 100,000 and I guess one way to look at it is we are ahead in our planning for when that figure arrives,” he said.
“I am looking forward to the release of subsequent jobs data to understand a bit more how it fits with the broader region and the economy,” he said.