ICT and Regional Development in Australia

Hervey Bay is located in the Wide Bay Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. Based on a number of economic and social indicators, the region can be described as disadvantaged (Planning Information Forecasting Unit, 2001). The median weekly income of the region is well below the Queensland state average. The overall unemployment rate for the region is around 16% with about 23% for youth unemployment. The population is aged with 20.7% of the population aged over 65 compared with the Queensland average of 12.4% (Paussa, 2003). Within the region the ratio of welfare payments to personal disposable income is 27.9% (Bray & Mudd, 1998), which is the second highest welfare recipient rate for a region in Australia.