The Diverse Communities of Brimbank Profile - Brimbank City Council

Environment/Community infrastructure
The Environment/Community
infrastructure profile theme contains
three key data areas:
• Environment/open spaces
• Transport and Connectivity
• Community Infrastructure
An overview of the City of Brimbanks Environment
and Infrastructure
A sustainable community is based on the relationship between
sociodemographic characteristics of the community and the level of access
a community has to services and facilities such as housing, employment,
education, health services, recreation facilities, accessible and safe public
transport, and the opportunity to establish and maintain social networks through
both planned activities and informal, spontaneous meetings. The communities
of Brimbank enjoy a diverse range of environments – from semi rural agricultural
properties abutting natural waterways and spaces, to urban areas with
increasing housing densification. The diversity of areas across Brimbank attracts
a diversity of households and individuals.
Brimbank is a large area with pockets of the municipality without easy access
to public transport options. Brimbank has a high car ownership rate relative to
Greater Melbourne, with many residents utilizing a car to travel to work rather
than other transportation methods. Reducing car dependency in the face of
peak oil and climate change, by supporting residents to live, work, play and shop
locally is critical to support sustainable communities. Housing growth in newer
and establishing suburbs is particularly at risk of car dependency as public
transport infrastructure is limited.
Brimbank’s residents are relatively efficient energy users, with many
households producing a smaller ecological footprint than households across
Victoria. Although, higher water consumption across the municipality indicates
water conservation needs to be encouraged for Brimbank to come into line with
sustainable consumption patterns.
Communities across Brimbank have lower rates of civic participation and
participation in arts and culture activities, and lower rates of participation
in sporting and recreational opportunities than the State average. Issues of
connectivity across the municipality restricting easy access to destinations may
be a contributing factor in lower rates of participation.
Compared to Greater Melbourne house prices in Brimbank are relatively
affordable, although significant increases in housing prices have been seen
over the past 10 years and mortgage stress in Brimbank is particularly high.
Despite having relatively high incomes, households have relatively high levels
of mortgage. This is a concern, as it indicates that those on the higher incomes,
who by definition are not susceptible to housing stress, are paying very high
mortgages and may have low rates of financial resilience in the event of job
loss or large increases in interest rates. This appears to be a trend in many
first home buyer areas, and may indicate that investment in support services
for these communities is needed. Higher costs of living, in combination with
high mortgages, and lower than average incomes leave many residents across
Brimbank susceptible to financial stress.
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