Overview

After Western Australia, Queensland is the next largest of the Australian states, and is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. The state's coastline is to the east is bounded by both the Coral Sea and the Pacific Ocean, and the northern peninsular is also to its west is bordered by the Gulf of Carpentaria. In the Coral Sea area is the Great Barrier Reef, a coral formation so large it is visible from space. Brisbane, the state capital, is located close to the eastern shoreline around 60 miles north of the border with New South Wales. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, as of March 2006 Queensland has a population of 4,035,700 and in 2005 Brisbane's population stood at an estimated 1,810,943.

Economy

The economy of Queensland is quite diverse and covers a number of industries, farming (both crops and livestock), mining of coal and a variety of minerals and tourism. As the administrative capital of the state, Brisbane's economy also includes IT, financial and legal sectors, as well as industries such as metalworking, petroleum refining and trade through the Port of Brisbane. According to the Port of Brisbane, `each year over 2,600 ships exchange about 26 million tonnes of cargo over the port's wharves. This activity currently generates a total annual contribution to the Queensland economy of $770 million`.

The city is also host to many foreign companies covering several different types of business including the freight and courier company DHL, Red Hat (the developers of Red Hat Enterprise Linux) and the electronics giant Panasonic. Tourism is also part of the city's economic make up, with Brisbane being both a destination in its own right and the first step to the rest of Queensland.

Figures published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that in 2003, $1,434,800 was generated from accommodation alone. The Queensland Government agency Invest Queensland stated, `Queensland is Australia's lowest taxed state for business` and `Average Queenslanders paid per capita tax of just $1708 in 2005-06, compared with the Australian average of $2135`.

Infrastructure

The state has three main airports: Cairns International Airport, Gold Coast Airport and Brisbane Airport, which serves the majority of long haul international flights. Brisbane Airport is located around 9 miles north east of Brisbane's central business district and is close to the mouth of the Brisbane River. The airport connects the city to destinations around the Far East, the Pacific and the west coast of the United States. With the introduction of the Airbus 380, longer non-stop flights will be possible. Statistics released by the Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) indicate that during the period 2005/06 the airport dealt with 16,208,976 passenger movements, of which 3,754,010 were international, and during the period 2004/04, a total of 152,710 tonnes of cargo was handled. Currently the BAC has committed over $2.2 billion for major upgrades over the next 10 years, which includes a new parallel runway. Transport to central Brisbane from the airport takes roughly 25 minutes: taxis cost around $35, buses are between $9 and $11, and the train costs $12.

The Port of Brisbane is in two parts: the main cargo area just over two miles west of the airport on the opposite bank of the river mouth, and Portside Wharf, the newly built cruise terminal, located on the river close to the airport and city centre. December 2006 was the thirtieth anniversary of the Port of Brisbane; in that time it has become the third most important port in Australia, and in the period 2005/06, it saw a container throughput of 766,300 TEU's (twenty-foot equivalent units) according to the Port of Brisbane Corporation. The port is still growing, with its 10th berth due for completion in mid-2008 and construction of berths 11 and 12 due to commence in late 2008. Portside Wharf was launched in mid-2006 and adjoins the proposed Northshore Hamilton project. Portside Wharf is aimed to be an entryway to Queensland for cruise ships, yachts and it also has a private marina. The terminal is part of an ongoing development of the river's northern shore and the area, and along with Northshore Hamilton, it will include shops, restaurants, parks and residential properties for Brisbane's growing population.

Getting around the city is relatively easy, and with public transport there a number of options: buses are one of the best ways around, with a comprehensive network operated by Translink; ferries are available on the Brisbane River between the University of Queensland and Bretts Wharf, which is just past Hamilton, as well as a number of river crossing ferries. Travelling to the suburbs is generally best accomplished by train, there are several interchange points allowing straightforward changing of lines.

Journeys around the state can sometimes entail distances in excess of 1,000 miles and although highways, main and other roads and trains cover a good proportion of the state, air travel is often the most practical transport over long distances. The Queensland Government is currently investing heavily in infrastructure upgrades and improvements state-wide: projects include the recycling and desalination of water, a bio-fuel refinery as well as many other projects.

Workforce

In December 2006 the Queensland Treasury issued a report showing that employment in the state was consistently increasing at a higher rate than the rest of Australia, since at least the turn of the millennium, and unemployment has been falling faster since mid-2003. The Australian Bureau of Statistics show that as of March 2005, the Queensland workforce stood at 1,981,200 with 77% being 49 years old or younger. There are a high number of top quality universities and colleges in the state; the best known internationally is the University of Queensland, based in Brisbane.

Standard of Living

Regularly referred to as the Sunshine State, Queensland enjoys for the most part a subtropical climate. Being such a large state means Queensland has a huge range of activities, amusements and entertainments for both visitors and locals alike. For the more adventurous there is diving at the Great Barrier Reef, which has some of the most spectacular underwater views anywhere in the world, or guided treks into Queensland's interior. Before deciding to go walkabout in the bush, it would be wise to visit the Queensland Museum in Brisbane to learn about the snakes and spiders that inhabit the state. Around 80 species of snake are to be found of which a quarter, if you are bitten, are dangerous or fatal to humans - it is also a good idea to make a note of the museum's spider bite emergency line.

For those who are less adventurous Brisbane offers more of the creature comforts, such as high quality restaurants, bars and nightlife. Standing in the middle of the city, it is hard to imagine how a convict settlement of 1825 with a population of less 50 evolved into the modern bustling metropolis we now know as Brisbane.

In Mercer's Quality of Living Survey 2006, Brisbane is ranked 31st out of 144 cities from around the world with a score of 102.8. This is behind the country's largest city, Sydney, which is in 9th place on 106.5 points and Melbourne, in 17th place on 105 points. Brisbane is also ranked as one of the least expensive cities in the world in Mercer's Cost of Living Survey 2006, which measures the comparative cost of over 200 items such as housing, food, clothing, and household goods, together with transportation and entertainment. The city was placed in 99th position, well below Sydney, which was placed 19th.

Business Costs

According to a report published by the commercial real estate services firm, CB Richard Ellis, in 2005, the total average occupation cost for offices in Brisbane is $26.22 USD per square foot per annum - this is well below the average cost in Sydney of $40.45 USD, but higher than other Australian cities such as Adelaide, Canberra and Melbourne.

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