Cairns among Australian cities with lowest rates for learning and earning

Cairns has been named as one of the Australian cities with the lowest rates for young people either studying or working a full-time job. It is also one of the country’s fittest cities, according to a new report.

The Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities has released the Progress in Australian Regions report which states that Cairns recorded Australia’s lowest rate of earning and learning with 69.9 percent. The figure is seen as a possible reflection of the region’s high cost of living and unemployment rates. It is comparable to what was recorded in Canberra (84.1 percent).

New enrolment figures were slightly down than last year’s number, TAFE Queensland North general manager Joann Pyne has revealed. “TAFE Queensland is focused on improving regional prosperity and development by working with businesses, community groups and government agencies to build skilled workforces in line with our region’s present and future economic needs,” Cairns Post reports her as saying.

A number of Australian capital cities have become more expensive compared to other parts of the world over the past year. These include Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart.

Sydney was named the nation’s most expensive city. It climbed to the 32^nd rank in this year's Cost of Living Index compiled by price aggregation website Numbeo.com.

Cairns also moved up to the list, along with Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart and Canberra. The only Aussie cities that have become more affordable were Perth, Darwin and Brisbane.

The UNSW Business School's Professor Kristy Muir, chief of the Centre for Social Impact, has said that the cost of living for people on welfare is specifically challenging. This is due to a limited amount of income coming in as expenses have increased.

Muir noted that not everyone who lives in poverty was unemployed. "One in three people who are living in poverty actually have wages, so we have challenges not just about how we make sure people have jobs, but we also want people to have stable jobs," the ABC reports her as saying.

Meanwhile, the report shows good figures health-wise for Cairns residents. The rates of physical activity, which is defined as 150 minutes of physical activity per week, rose between 2007-08 and 2014-15 in many major urban areas and the region saw the largest increase. Northern Queensland Primary Health Network chief executive John Gregg has commented on the report, saying it emphasised the importance of collaboration between the Far North’s numerous health organisations to boost healthy living in Cairns.