Median house price
—
No data available
ACT · Unincorporated ACT Council
Chifley, 2606
Est. population · Jun 2025
2,708
Growth (1 yr)
+1.8%
Growth (5 yr)
+5.5%
Median age
37
Median income
$2,347/wk
Employment rate
67%
Languages at home
26.5%non-English
Most common: Nepali, Mandarin, Tamil
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- Education hub
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Chifley is a practical mid-sized suburb in Unincorporated ACT, well placed for families who want metro access without the inner-city squeeze. Families and commuters make up much of the community, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Overseas-born and multilingual households are a noticeable part of the local population.
School and preschool provision is plentiful within the local area. Open space is thinner than in many metro suburbs, so residents often travel a little further for a longer park day. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here, with buses covering longer trips across the wider area.
Housing is expensive relative to much of the state. Reported crime has been falling recently.
The overall desirability read is around average, pulled by softer local dining and lifestyle amenities compared with similar metro suburbs, though community and employment, plus growth momentum remain brighter spots. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
At a glance
Chifley snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
—
No data available
Population (ERP)
2,708
+1.8% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
8.8%
Census unoccupied dwellings
Livability profile
Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Desirability
#10
among Metro Canberra · Emerging
Safety
13th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
82nd
percentile in ACT
Advantage (IRSAD)
10/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
88th
percentile among schools with ICSEA
Population growth
Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years
Housing mix
Dwelling types from the 2021 Census
Risks & flags
Quick scan — open a section below for full context
Living here
Desirability
Ranks & confidence
- Desirability score
- 47.1/100 — Average
- National rank
- 2567th in Australia
- State rank
- 96th in ACT
- Peer rank
- #10 among Metro Canberra · Emerging suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #95 among Metro Canberra suburbs
- Data confidence
- 82%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Population
Estimated resident population
2,708(June 2025)
+1.8% annual · +5.5% over 5 years · 82th percentile in ACT
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +1.8%
- 5-year growth
- +5.5%
- Change in 1 year
- +47
- Change in 5 years
- +141
- Growth rank in ACT
- 82th percentile
ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.
Methodology
Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.
The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~2,800), extrapolated at +0.5% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 2,680
- Median age
- 37
- Median household income / week
- $2,347
- Dwelling vacancy
- 8.8%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 102 of 1,161
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,383
- Employment rate
- 67%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 719 / 282 / 61
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
- Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries
Community & culture
No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 26
- Against the person
- 6
- Against property
- 9
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 9.6
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 447 residents
- State safety percentile
- 13.3th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -71%
Most common offence types
- Motor Vehicle Theft3
- Property Damage3
- Theft (Excluding Motor Vehicles)2
- Other Offences11
- Assault - Non-Fv5
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- ACT crime statistics by suburb (quarterly) — ACT Policing / dataACT · Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 → Jan 2025 to Dec 2025; Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Updated · Quarterly XLSX release
Family & Lifestyle
Schools & preschools
- Schools within 2 km
- 9
- Median school ICSEA (9 schools)
- 1,113
- Median ICSEA percentile
- 88th
School list
- Lyons Early Childhood SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1116 · 88th percentile · LBOTE 35% · 91 students · Top SEA quarter 54% · 1.3 km awayView on My School →
- Marist College CanberraCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1142 · 94th percentile · LBOTE 13% · 1,852 students · Top SEA quarter 58% · 1.3 km awayView on My School →
- Arawang Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1113 · 88th percentile · LBOTE 17% · 469 students · Top SEA quarter 48% · 1.6 km awayView on My School →
- Melrose High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1079 · 78th percentile · LBOTE 31% · 776 students · Top SEA quarter 37% · 1.6 km awayView on My School →
- Sacred Heart Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1131 · 91th percentile · LBOTE 17% · 210 students · Top SEA quarter 50% · 1.7 km awayView on My School →
- The Canberra CollegeSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1087 · 81th percentile · LBOTE 26% · 1,174 students · Top SEA quarter 39% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
- Canberra Christian SchoolPrimary · Independent · ICSEA 1087 · 81th percentile · LBOTE 63% · 228 students · Top SEA quarter 30% · 1.9 km awayView on My School →
- Mawson Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1139 · 93th percentile · LBOTE 67% · 542 students · Top SEA quarter 59% · 2.0 km awayView on My School →
- St John Vianney's Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1094 · 83th percentile · LBOTE 16% · 159 students · Top SEA quarter 40% · 2.0 km awayView on My School →
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
Childcare
1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap
- Chifley Preschoolkindergarten
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
Childcare centre count
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · current · Updated
Amenities
109 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
1 cafes · 1 places of worship · 1 playgrounds · 2 sports centres · 56 swimming pools
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Limited walkable amenities nearby
- Decent local green space — 1 parks in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
- Reasonable bus and transport access — 10 public transport stops
- Strong local sport and recreation — 61 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
- Walkability proxy
- 17/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0.37
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 0.37
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 0.37
Food & drink(1)
- A Bite to EatCafe
Shopping(1)
- Friendly GroceryConvenience store
Community(1)
- Chifley PreschoolKindergarten
Chifley
Sport & outdoors(62)
- Outdoor Gym EquipmentGym
- Park
- Charteris Crescent Neighbourhood PlaygroundPlayground
- Ricky Stuart HouseSports centre
- YMCA Health and Fitness CentreSports centre
- Sports field
- Swimming pool (56)
Entertainment(1)
- Viewpoint
Transport(10)
10 bus stops
Other(16)
- Local LiquorAlcohol
- Chifley Graffiti WallArtwork
- Bbq
- Bench (10)
- Bicycle Parking (2)
- Drinking water
- Information
- Parking (8)
- Parking Entrance
- Chifley BBQ AreaPicnic Table
- Calvary ChurchPlace of worship
- Canberra PodiatryPodiatrist
- Post Box
- Chifley Shops Street LibraryPublic Bookcase
- Public toilets
- Recycling
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 3
- Parks (OSM)
- 1
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Places of worship
1 places of worship within ~1.5 km
- Calvary Church
From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
- 1
- Nearest hospital
- Canberra Hospital (2.4 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
- Emergency department in suburb
- Not in suburb
- Canberra PodiatryPodiatrist
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · current · Updated
NDIS participation
- NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
- 81
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 29.9
Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.
For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.
Data sources & freshness
- NDIS participants by SA2 — National Disability Insurance Agency · 2026-Q1 · Updated · Quarterly SA2 counts allocated to suburb boundaries
Weather
Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.
Summer (Dec–Feb)
- Usual max / min
- 27° / 12°
- Rainfall
- 171 mm · ~21 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 21° / 7°
- Rainfall
- 169 mm · ~21 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 12° / 1°
- Rainfall
- 183 mm · ~23 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 19° / 6°
- Rainfall
- 212 mm · ~26 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Temperature and humidity comfort
Data sources & freshness
- Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated
Future & Planning
Planning & development
Development applications from ACT planning register.
2026· 3 proposals
May 2026
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYActive
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
February 2026
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
2025· 15 proposals
December 2025
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
October 2025
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYActive
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYActive
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
September 2025
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
August 2025
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
July 2025
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
April 2025
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
March 2025
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
February 2025
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
January 2025
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
2024· 6 proposals
November 2024
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
October 2024
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
July 2024
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
June 2024
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
March 2024
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
February 2024
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
2023· 4 proposals
December 2023
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
June 2023
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
May 2023
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
April 2023
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
2022· 10 proposals
December 2022
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
September 2022
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
June 2022
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
May 2022
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
April 2022
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
March 2022
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
February 2022
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
2021· 2 proposals
December 2021
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
November 2021
- SUBCCHIFLEY · WODEN VALLEYCompleted
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- Active & completed development applications — ACT Planning · 2026 · Updated
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via ACT Bushfire Prone Area (SBMP) mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated
Politics & representation
- Federal electorate
- Bean
- Member of Parliament
- David SMITH (Australian Labor Party)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 113,876
- Turnout (2025)
- 92.5%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- +6.3 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 30.7%Labor 69.3%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 2.5 km away).
Coalition 24.8%Labor 75.2%
5.9 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +6.0 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- Lyons (Bean)Labor 75.9% · Coalition 24.1% TPP (2025)1.4 km away
- PearceLabor 71.7% · Coalition 28.3% TPP (2025)1.5 km away
- WaramangaLabor 78.4% · Coalition 21.6% TPP (2025)1.7 km away
- MawsonLabor 73.7% · Coalition 26.3% TPP (2025)1.9 km away
- Garran (Bean)Labor 75.0% · Coalition 25.0% TPP (2025)2.1 km away
Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.
Data sources & freshness
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
Socio-economic
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 10/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 9/10
ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).
What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?
IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.
IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.
A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
This suburb ranks highly for
Compare with
Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.
More in Unincorporated ACT Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile elsewhere in Australian Capital Territory or interstate.