Letter To The Editor – Michael Torrens
I believe the Gympie region is about to face one of its biggest shifts in our community since the beginning of the pandemic.
Traditionally, the youth of Gympie once graduated typically want to spread their wings and explore life in the “big smoke” of the Sunshine Coast or Brisbane.
A few things drive this, wanting to move out from the family home, better job prospects and plenty of housing choices compared to Gympie’s traditionally tight rental market.
What we are now seeing is a major shift in rental availability across the majority of Queensland.
Gympie sits at 0.9 per cent and the Sunshine Coast 0.6 per cent rental availability.
A healthy rental market should sit around 3.5 per cent.
So what does this mean for Gympie?
It means the region is in for a major shift in the youth population.
Come mid November I don’t see the traditional exodus of youth out of the region.
More youth will be looking for local work and more youth will travel from home to local university campuses.
The family unit won’t look like it did a few years ago and the way this town operates will need to change.
Council and local employers need to be stepping up now to provide opportunities the bigger towns offer.
More apprenticeships, more traineeships and more TAFE and uni courses through Gympie.
Our leaders need to be discussing housing and job opportunities and start thinking about their roles as leaders and stopping thinking it’s not their issue.
This area is hitting a major turning point and a lack of foresight will bring joblessness, mental health issues, crime and disillusion.
Not to mention added pressure on tight budgets and a likely recession.
– Michael Torrens
Gympie