Global Connectivity Ranking

This FACT indicates the global connectivity of Australian cities as ranked by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) Research Network from the year 2016. A global city (also referred to as an alpha city) is a city generally considered to be an important node in the global economic system of finance and trade. The data was interpreted and given a numbering system from 1-12, where a city that had a 'sufficiency' rating was given the value of 1, and a city with an 'alpha++' rating was given a value of 12. According to GaWC, Sydney has the highest global connectivity ranking in Australia, as an Alpha; Melbourne is next at Alpha Minus (-); then Brisbane and Perth at Beta and Adelaide rated Gamma Plus (+). Canberra is described as Sufficiency, whilst Darwin and Hobart have not qualified for a rating, and hence are assigned a value of zero.

Percentage of domestic students undertaking registration as nurses (Regional)

This FACT indicates the percentage of each state's population that is currently undertaking a course for initial registration as a nurse. Nursing is a profession within the health care sector, and an integral profession in the establishment of healthy and prosperous communities.

Interestingly, the number of students studying to become a nurse is not influenced by the number of universities in each city, neither in hard numbers nor as a percentage of the population. Based on data from 2016, the Northern Territory has the highest percentage of domestic students undertaking a course for initial registration as a nurse, at 24.75 percent.

Percentage of households that own a bicycle

This FACT indicates the percentage of households in each Australian city that own a bicycle. Although the weather across Australia permits cycling more than other continents, cycling for transport or recreation is less popular, likely influenced by the large distances between destinations, as well as the limited access to bike lanes.

In August 2011, the Australian Bicycle Council released the results of the National Cycling Participation Survey. The survey found that in a typical week, around 18% of Australians ride a bicycle for transport and recreation. The city with the highest percentage of households that own at least one bicycle is Darwin, at 72 percent. The city with the lowest percentage is Adelaide, at 51 percent. This may be influenced by the fact that Adelaide has one of the largest urban sprawls compared to the size of its inner city, spanning over 100km from north to south.

Percentage of smokers (Regional)

Which Australian city smokes the most?

Smoking is a hot topic in Australia: it was the first country to introduce plain package cigarettes, and has heavy taxes on tobacco products. These federal measures are aimed at reducing the number of smokers in the country, and thereby the number of smoking-related illnesses and deaths that occur each year. The two most recent estimates for deaths caused by tobacco are by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), and the Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA). The DoHA estimates 14,901 tobacco-attributable deaths in Australia (based on figures from 2004-05) and the estimates 15,511 deaths (based on figures from 2003). The differences in estimates are due to differing methodologies and reference years. Based on figures from the AIHW and DoHA reports, Tobacco in Australia estimates that there are 15,000 deaths annually due to tobacco. Even with conservative methodologies, the numbers are troubling.

This FACT indicates the total percentage of smokers amongst Australians 15 years and over, per state. Data collected in 2015 indicates that the state with the highest rate of smokers is the Northern Territory, at 21.6 percent. The state with the lowest is the Australian Capital Territory, at 13.1 percent.

Waste recovery per person (tonnes)

While society as a whole is creating far more waste than ever before, the collective conscious is far more attuned to the benefit and necessity of recycling. This FACT indicates the average amount of waste recovered, in tonnes per person in each Australian capital city. Recovered waste refers to the amount of waste (both recyclables and green waste) that was recycled or reused, and therefore not sent to landfill. This data was sourced from the Department of the Environment and Energy, Australian National Waste Report 2016. When it comes to waste recovery, Adelaide leads the way, at 1.953 tonnes per person.