FACTBase Bulletin 2 - Economic Stress in Perth

​This paper reports on the development of a new index of economic stress for Perth, Western Australia.

Key Findings

• Perth’s most economically stressed areas are concentrated in Mirrabooka and Girrawheen. Other location of high stress include Osborne Park, Kwinana, Highgate, and Northbridge.
• There is a shifting geography of economic stress in Perth suburbs from 2005-2009, where stress was centred around the middle ring suburbs, but has now migrated to the outer northern suburbs.
• Suburbs such as Cottesloe, Peppermint Grove, and City Beach have the lowest Stress Index scores.
• Suburbs with the biggest decreases in stress over the four year time period were Victoria Park, Carlisle, Maylands, Bayswater, Inglewood, Mt Lawley, Morley, Belmont, and Riverton.
• The Underlying socio-economic drivers for stress are the proportions of the population born overseas, who speak English moderately well or poorly, employed in vulnerable sectors, who do not have post-school qualifications, and who have a mortgage.