BRS SEMINAR SERIES PRESENTS: Friday 9 June 2006

Sea changers, tree changers, lifestylers and downshifters in rural Australia: implications for policy

Howard Conkey, DAFF Product Integrity & Heather Aslin, BRS

The character of parts of rural Australia is changing rapidly as increasing numbers of rural lifestyle landholders purchase rural land in and around the major cities. The

traditional distinctions between rural and urban Australia need to be re-considered as urban values, and access to city services and city-based jobs, become a dominant

influence over much of the more densely settled parts of rural Australia. Rural lifestyle landholders form part of the groups now popularly described as ‘sea changers’ or

‘tree-changers’, and those who are ‘down-shifting’ from city lifestyles. They are also described as hobby, peri-urban or lifestyle farmers. In comparison with mainstream

commercial farmers, these landholders may be distinctively different in characteristics, values, attitudes and behaviour; may raise new policy issues and

challenges; and may need different communication strategies. Rural policy makers need to understand these kinds of landholders better and apply this understanding in their work. This will often require targeted approaches at the

local and regional levels that tap into local knowledge and use local expertise to help identify issues and design activities to cater for this landholder segment. The seminar

will illustrate these points by referring to recent work on biosecurity issues.

Sea-changers, tree-changers, lifestylersand downshifters in

rural Australia

Howard Conkey &Heather Aslin

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

9 June 2006

Hobby farmers

• 40,000 in WA• 29,000 in Vic - 14 per cent of

farms change ownership each year

• Diverse group – major communication challenge

www.brs.gov.au

Some questions:• Who are these people?• Where do they live?• What do we know about them?• How significant are they?• What are the implications?• Where to from here?

www.brs.gov.au

So who are these people?• Lifestyle farmers• Rural lifestyle landholders• Hobby farmers• Part-time farmers• Small farmers• Peri-urban landholders• ‘Sea changers’ and ‘tree changers’• ‘Downshifters’

www.brs.gov.au

• Sea changers – ‘ … people making a fundamental change to their lifestyles … accompanied by re-location to certain favoured non-metropolitan areas’

• Tree changers – ‘a move from a city environment to a rural location away from the coast … usually to escape stress and other deleterious aspects of city life’

• Downshifters – ‘a voluntary, long-term, lifestyle change that involves accepting significantly less income and consuming less’

‘The trouble with the rat race is, even if you win, you are still a rat.’

www.brs.gov.au

Where do they live?

www.brs.gov.au

Swan Hill

Mildura

Horsham

Ararat

Warrnambool

E. GippslandOrbost

E. GippslandBalDelatite

South

CampaspeRochester

CampaspeKyabram

MoiraWest Moira

East IndigoWodonga

AlpineEast

Wangaratta

Delati te

Shepparton

BendigoCentral

Goldfields

Wellington

Ballarat

Golden Plains

ColacOtway

Surf CoastBassCoast

South Gippsland

Peri-Metropolitan TurnaroundPopulation TurnaroundOther Regional Cities

Victoria - Regional Typology

HepburnEast

MooraboolBallan

Macedon Ranges

Macedon RangesKyneton

Mi tchel lNorth

Mur rindindiWestMi tchel l

SouthMacedon Ranges

Romsey

Golden PlainsSouth-East

MooraboolBacchus Marsh

Mel ton

HumeSunbury

Wyndham-NthWyndham-Wst

Wyndham-Sth

Mor nington P'sula

Bass CoastPhi ll ip Is.

Murrind indi - East

Yarra Ranges - Pt B

Baw BawPt B West

South GippslandWest

Bass Coast

CardiniaSouth

Cardinia Pakenham

CardiniaNorth

Yarra RangesCentral

Yarra RangesSouth-West

Yarr a RangesNorth

Nillumbik

WhittleseaNorth

Surf CoastWest

Greater Geelong

Greater Geelong

MooraboolWest

MeltonEast

After Burnley & Murphy, 2004

A

East Pilbara

Broome

Derby-West Kimberley

Wyndham-East Kimberley

Kalgoorlie/Boulder

Esperance

Coolgardie

Roebourne

Port Hedland

Manjimup Albany

Irwin

KatanningBusselton

Greenough

Augusta-Margaret River

Capel

Denmark

NarroginHarvey

Peri-Metropolitan TurnaroundPopulation TurnaroundOther Regional Cities

Western Australia - Regional TypologyGingin

Toodyay

York

Beverley

Wander ing

Boddington

Murray

Waroona

Serpenti ne- Jarrahdale

Armadal e

Kalamunda

Mundaring

Swan

ChitteringWanner oo - Nth W est

Wanner oo - Nth East

Wanner oo- South

Kwinana

Roc kingham

Nor tham

GoyderElliston

Ceduna

Whyalla

Port Augusta

Port Pirie

Port Lincoln

Wakefield

Copper Coast

Clare and Gilbert Valleys

Loxton

Berri & Barmera

Renmark & Paringa

Naracoorte

Mount Gambier

Mid Murray

Murray Bridge

AlexandrinaVictor Harbor

Yankalilla

Coober Pedy

South Australia - Regional Typology

Peri-Metropolitan TurnaroundPopulation TurnaroundOther Regional Cities

Barunga West

Copper Coast

Barunga West

Wakefield Clare and Gi lbert Valleys

Goyder

Mid Murray

MallalaLight

Murray Bridge

Alexandrina-Strathalbyn

AlexandrinaCoastalVictor

HarborYankalilla

BarossaPlayford

Adelaide Hi ll sNorth

BarossaAngastonBarossa

Tanunda

Mount BarkerOnkaparingaHil lsOnkaparinga

South Coast

Adelaide HillsAdelaide Hills

Ranges

Peri-metropolitan turnaround

Population turnaround

Other regional cities

NSW coastal turnaround

Gold CoastBroken Hill

Griffith

Wagga Wagga

Albury

Dubbo

Mudgee

Tamworth

Armidale Dumaresq

Orange

Yass

Snowy River

Queanbeyan

Bathurst

Greater Lithgow

Oberon

Wingecarribee

WollongongWollondilly

Blue MountainsHawkesbury

GosfordWyongCessnock

#

NewcastlePort Stephens

# Bega Valley

#

Eurobodalla

#

Shoalhaven

# Great Lakes

# Greater Taree

#

Hastings#

#

Kempsey

#

Nambucca

#

Bellingen

#Coffs

Harbour

#

Pristine Waters - Nymboida#

Pristine WatersUlmarra

# Maclean

#Richmond Valley

#Lismore

#

Tweed

#

Byron

#

Ballina#

Goulburn

Peri-Metropolitan TurnaroundPopulation TurnaroundOther Regional CitiesOther Population TurnaroundNSW Coastal Turnaround SouthNSW Coastal Turnaround North

New South Wales - Regional Typology

Cook

Carpentaria

Mareeba

Cloncurry

Mount Isa

Longreach

Herberton

Cairns

Cardwell

ThuringowaTownsville

Whitsunday

Mackay

SarinaNebo

Livingstone

Fitzroy

Peak Downs

Emerald

Waggamba

#

Calliope

CalliopeMiriam Vale

Kolan

Burnett

IsisHervey

Bay

Woocoo

Tiaro

Kilkivan Cooloola

Noosa

Kingaroy

Dalby

Jondaryan

Pittsworth

WarwickWest

WarwickEast

WarwickNorth

Cambooya

Rosalie

Nanango

Maryborough

Crow's Nest Esk

Kilcoy

Gatton

Boonah

Beaudesert

Pine Rivers

Ipswich

Caboolture

Caloundra

Maroochy

Beaudesert

GoldCoast

Peri-Metropolitan TurnaroundPopulation TurnaroundOther Regional CitiesGold Coast

Queensland - Regional Typology

www.brs.gov.auFrom Houston, 2004

www.brs.gov.au

What do we know about them?- Commonly own smaller properties- Tend to be better educated than farmers- Likely to be engaged in low capital agriculture - May not spend much time on-property- Likely to be mature age and older

www.brs.gov.au

Small lifestyle farmers in Victoria (after Hollier et al., 2004)Characteristics

Land size – smallConnection to major centres –

moderate to highDisposable income – highOutside labour – moderateOff-farm income – highDistance from regional centre – lowLand management expertise – lowBusiness expertise – highFarming history – lowConnections to industry bodies – low

ValuesValue rural lifestyleStrong land stewardship ethicLow value on agricultural production

Social networksFavour horizontal not vertical

networks

Information and learning preferencesMajor sources – newspapers,

newsletters and neighboursFavour group-based and adult-

learning principles

www.brs.gov.au

How significant are they?

www.brs.gov.au

• Numbers of landholders and land transactions– Surveys of rural landholders with properties >10 ha in

selected Vic., NSW and Qld catchments find 35 - 58%not farmers

– Estimated 40,000 landholders with properties between 1 ha and 100 ha in WA in 2005

– Of more than 4,000 rural land sales per year in Victoria, more than 56% are <20 ha

www.brs.gov.au

• Impacts on agricultural land and production – At least 25% of total gross value of Australian

agricultural production from areas subject to peri-urban influence

– In Sydney Basin:- ave estimated agricultural land return of

$5,500/ha - compared with NSW ave of $136/ha- total annual agricultural production valued at

approx. $1 billion (2003)

www.brs.gov.au

• Significance of non-agricultural employment and off-farm income in rural areas

– Total rural area employment in non-agricultural occupations:

- Up from 67.7% in 1986 to 76.3% in 1996

– For broad-acre farm families:- Off-farm income averaged around 65% of total family

income 1989-90 to 2002-03

www.brs.gov.au

What are the implications?

www.brs.gov.au

Case studies – biosecurity issues

City of Swan, WA

City of Greater Bendigo, Vic.

Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Qld

www.brs.gov.au

City of Swan, WA• population approx. 85,000,

projected to increase by 2.8%/yrto 2016

• attracting people from Perth’snorthern and eastern suburbs

• in 2001, 14.3% spoke languageother than English at home

• small farms producing poultry andeggs, fruit and veg, beef, wine,plant nurseries

• local produce markets and somelarger farmers’ markets

www.brs.gov.au

City of Swan - biosecurity issues and rural lifestylers• Low awareness and understanding of

agriculture• Lack of connection to agricultural and NRM

services; lack of experience on land• Poor pasture, stock and land management• Weed and pest management• Plant and animal disease

www.brs.gov.au

City of Greater Bendigo, Vic.

www.brs.gov.au

City of Greater Bendigo, Vic.• Total population 93,000, growing by approx.

1.5%/year• Largely Australian born, 6% from overseas• In-migration from other areas of Vic.• Sub-division mainly near township fringes• Agriculture includes grazing, dryland

cropping, boutique wineries, orchards, olive groves, and some intensive production

• Small local markets

www.brs.gov.au

City of Greater Bendigo - biosecurity issues and rural lifestylers• Influx of new landholders, mainly urban;

people with less NRM background; newcomers and turnover

• Absentee owners• ‘Grower to grower’ exchanges• Introduction of new weeds and control of

existing ones• New pests• Plant and animal disease

www.brs.gov.au

Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Qld• Includes inland of 2 Local Govt Areas• Total population 220,000 (2003) – 60% within

5 km of coast• Population growing rapidly – ave growth

4%/yr over period 1991-2001• Much sub-division, rising house and land

values• Low ethnic diversity – 3.5% spoke language

other than English at home in 2001• Expanding service and retail sectors• Influence of ‘alternative lifestylers’• Many produce markets

www.brs.gov.au

Sunshine Coast Hinterland - biosecurity issues and rural lifestylers• Many people coming and going – high mobility• Retiree landowners and travel• Agricultural production ‘right slap bang’ up

against peri-urban development• Illegal importation of plant material• Chemical residues, spray drift, illegal plant sprays• Weed and pest control• Plant and animal disease

www.brs.gov.au

Conclusions• Important segment of rural landholder

populations in favoured areas• May be distinctively different from mainstream

commercial farmers• Live in varied contexts, often with high

population mobility and land turnover• Raise new policy issues and challenges• Re biosecurity, issues related to lack of

experience and risk awareness, and location• Few communication and extension activities

specifically directed to this segment

www.brs.gov.au

Further information

•

www.brs.gov.au

Acknowledgments

• Howard Conkey and Greg Flaherty, DAFF• Nicki Mazur, formerly of BRS (WA case study)• Case study interviewees and State agency staff• The project’s advisory committee• BRS colleagues, particularly Shannon Kelson and

Jodie Smith for maps, and Ian Byron for landholder data

• BRS Communications, particularly Clare Ryan and Tracey Lutton, for help with the seminar and brief

www.brs.gov.au

Where to from here?