suburb.guide

ACT · Unincorporated ACT Council

Watson, 2602

Est. population · Jun 2025

7,477

Growth (1 yr)

+1.9%

Growth (5 yr)

+13.8%

Median age

34

Median income

$2,414/wk

Employment rate

73.1%

University qualified

55.6%

Work from home

12.9%

Median land value · 2026

$435,000

Languages at home

20.4%non-English

Most common: Mandarin, Nepali, Spanish

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

53.3/100
Average

64th in ACT

Verified 95% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Education hub
  • Walkable
  • Heritage area
  • Inner city
What Watson is known for: Education hub, Walkable, Heritage area, Inner city

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Watson, ACT suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Watson, ACT Suburb Guide”, updated 2 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/act/watson

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Suburb profile

Watson is an inner metropolitan suburb of Canberra, in Unincorporated ACT, with mainly mixed commercial and residential development. It has a university campus. Notable landmarks include Starlight Drive-In Theatre Sign.

Employment rates are stronger than in comparable places, with employment 16% above the peer median. Open-space access is better than in most comparable places, with park access 61% above the peer median. University qualifications are more common than in comparable places, with university qualifications 11% above the peer median. Crime remains above typical levels but is improving. Reported offences have fallen 54% year on year. Trade-offs centre on limited health access and limited school access.

Watson is a better fit for people who value open space and employment more than health access.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Inner metropolitan suburb · compared with inner metropolitan suburbs in Australian Capital Territory (45)

Strengths

  • Open-space access is better than in most comparable places
  • Employment rates are stronger than in comparable places
  • University qualifications are more common than in comparable places

Weaknesses

  • Health-facility access is relatively limited
  • School access is a relative weakness

What stands out

  • University campus
  • Starlight Drive-In Theatre Sign
  • Crime remains above typical levels but is improving

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyersInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How Watson compares

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median land value

$435k

+3.6% unimproved value

Median rent (Census)

$437/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

7,477

+1.9% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

6.5%

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

#14

among Metro Canberra · Growth area

Crime rate

64th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

83rd

percentile in ACT

Rented dwellings

34%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

10/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

91st

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
53.3/100 — Average
National rank
1401st in Australia
State rank
64th in ACT
Peer rank
#14 among Metro Canberra · Growth area suburbs
Cohort rank
#64 among Metro Canberra suburbs
Data confidence
95%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Housing

Median unimproved land value (2026)
$435,000
Land value change
+3.6%
Valued parcels
3,248

Median unimproved land value is the statutory land valuation, not a house or unit sale price. ACT does not publish open suburb-level median sales.

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (10%) · Future Growth (6%)

Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band

Data sources & freshness

  • ACT unimproved land values (no open suburb-level rent or sales) — ACT Government — dataACT / Valuation · 2026 · Updated · Annual unimproved land values by parcel, median by suburb

Population

Estimated resident population

7,477(June 2025)

+1.9% annual · +13.8% over 5 years · 83th percentile in ACT

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.9%
5-year growth
+13.8%
Change in 1 year
+138
Change in 5 years
+905
Growth rank in ACT
83th 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 (~8,400), extrapolated at +2.4% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
6,727
Median age
34
Median household income / week
$2,414
Dwelling vacancy
6.5%
Unoccupied private dwellings
186 of 2,841
Median monthly mortgage
$2,067
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$437
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
23% / 43.1% / 33.9%
Employment rate
73.1%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
12.9% / 4.9% / 59%
Walked or cycled to work
6.7%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
1,539 / 784 / 327

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted 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

Qualifications

55.6% of adults have a university degree, compared with 42.9% across Australian Capital Territory. 8% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified55.6% · 42.9% ACT
  • Diploma qualified7.7% · 9.3% ACT
  • Trade / vocational8% · 10.7% ACT
  • Year 12 or below28.7% · 37.1% ACT

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Society and culture28.9%
  • Management and commerce17.2%
  • Education8.5%
  • Engineering and related technologies8.3%
  • Natural and physical sciences8.3%
  • Creative arts7.1%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$79,126

72nd percentile in ACT · +35% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$84,382

68th percentile in ACT · +30% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
18.0%

68th percentile in ACT · +30% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$101,784

44th percentile in ACT · +61% vs Australia

Residents with business income
8.0%

64th percentile in ACT · -23% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 2602 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
24,069
Taxpayers reporting net rent
4,289
Median net rent
-$1,804
Taxpayers reporting business income
1,954
Taxable income vs state median
+5%
Salary / wages vs state median
+3%
Rental investment vs state median
+13%
Super vs state median
-2%
Business income vs state median
+14%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in ACT, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

20.4% speak a language other than English at home; 27% born overseas

Language at home
5,160 English only · 1,323 other
Non-English at home
20.4%
Born overseas
1,762 (27%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
124 (1.8%)
Australian citizens
5,792
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
30

Top languages other than English

Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).

  • Mandarin63 · 13.3%
  • Nepali39 · 8.2%
  • Spanish37 · 7.8%
  • Vietnamese33 · 6.9%
  • Cantonese29 · 6.1%
  • Hindi29 · 6.1%
  • German24 · 5.1%
  • French23 · 4.8%

Religion

56.1%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 56.1%, while Christianity accounts for 28.4%.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion56.1%43.5%
Christianity28.4%38.1%
Hinduism2.9%4.5%
Buddhism4.2%2.8%
Other / not stated8.4%11.1%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic14.6%19.3%
Anglican5.9%8.2%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted 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)
162
Against the person
27
Against property
81
Rate per 1,000 residents
21.7
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 249 residents
State crime-rate percentile
63.7th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate)
-53.9%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
3
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
0.4

Most common offence types

  • Assault - Fv8
  • Burglary Other7
  • Other Offences54
  • Property Damage26
  • Theft (Excluding Motor Vehicles)41

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

  • ACT road crash data — ACT Government / AFP crash reports · 2020–latest · Updated · Reported crash points from 2020 onward
  • 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
4
Median school ICSEA (4 schools)
1,128
Median ICSEA percentile
91th
School list
  • Majura Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1135 · 92th percentile · LBOTE 29% · 675 students · Top SEA quarter 58% · 0.6 km awayView on My School →
  • Rosary Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1121 · 90th percentile · LBOTE 15% · 369 students · Top SEA quarter 50% · 1.2 km awayView on My School →
  • Dickson CollegeSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1101 · 84th percentile · LBOTE 39% · 899 students · Top SEA quarter 46% · 1.6 km awayView on My School →
  • Blue Gum Community SchoolCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1164 · 97th percentile · LBOTE 10% · 167 students · Top SEA quarter 69% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Childcare

2 childcare services from OpenStreetMap

  • Majura Primary School - Watson Preschoolkindergarten
  • Nipperville Early Learning Centrekindergarten

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Childcare centres per 1,000 residents

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · current · Updated

Amenities

225 mapped amenities

2 restaurants · 1 cafes · 1 supermarkets · 1 pharmacies · 2 places of worship · 10 playgrounds · 2 swimming pools · 1 petrol stations

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Highly walkable for shops and everyday services
  • Great for outdoor family life — 26 parks mapped in suburb, 10 playgrounds nearby
  • Well connected by public transport — 36 public transport stops
  • Strong local sport and recreation — 13 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
Walkability proxy
76/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0.15
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0.45
Parks per 1,000 residents
3.87
Food & drink(3)
  • The Knox made in WatsonCafe

    Knox Street

  • Lolo and LolaRestaurant

    Unit 2 1 Watson Place

  • Watson TakeawayRestaurant
Shopping(3)
  • BP ShopConvenience store

    110 Federal Highway, Watson

  • SupaBarn ExpressSupermarket
Everyday services(2)
  • ATM
  • BP WatsonPetrol station

    110 Federal Highway, Watson

Community(6)
  • Majura Mountain Scouts HallCommunity centre
  • The Fair Community CentreCommunity centre
  • Majura Primary School - Watson PreschoolKindergarten
  • Nipperville Early Learning CentreKindergarten
  • Majura Primary SchoolSchool
  • Rosary Primary SchoolSchool
Health & services(2)
  • Watson General PracticeMedical clinic
  • Watson ChemistPharmacy
Sport & outdoors(45)
  • CBR Cycle Route C11Cycling route
  • CBR Cycle Route C9Cycling route
  • Drinking water
  • Justice Robert Hope Park Nature ReserveNature reserve
  • Billabong ParkPark
  • Justice Robert Hope ParkPark
  • Maliyan ParkPark
  • Park (21)
  • Watson Micro-forestPark
  • Dowling Street Neighbourhood PlaygroundPlayground
  • Harding Street Neighbourhood PlaygroundPlayground
  • Mary Kitson Street Neighbourhood PlaygroundPlayground
  • Playground (5)
  • Simpson Street Neighbourhood PlaygroundPlayground
  • Wade Street Neighbourhood PlaygroundPlayground
  • Public toilets
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool (2)
  • alternate Centenary trailWalking trail
  • Canberra Centenary Trail - HikingWalking trail
Places to stay(3)
  • Ibis Budget CanberraHotel

    15 Tay Street, Watson

  • Canberra Carotel MotelMotel
  • Red Cedars MotelMotel
Entertainment(1)
  • Canberra Potter's SocietyArts centre
Transport(36)

36 bus stops

Other(28)
  • Apartment

    70 Federal Highway

  • Artwork (2)
  • The Big GalahsArtwork
  • Gallery of Small ThingsAttraction

    Wade Street

  • Taglietti House 03 Mckeown HouseAttraction

    109 Irvine Street

  • Beautiful YouBeauty salon
  • Bench (9)
  • Bicycle Parking (5)
  • Parks ACTBicycle Parking
  • Bicycle Repair Station
  • BPCar wash
  • Fountain GardenGarden
  • Garden (3)
  • Rose GardenGarden
  • Coco's HairHairdresser

    Windeyer Street

  • Ibis Car ParkParking
  • Parking (28)
  • Parking Space (50)
  • Picnic Table (2)
  • C3 Church WatsonPlace of worship

    Aspinall Street

  • Holy Rosary ChurchPlace of worship
  • Post Box
  • Shelter (4)
  • Prime Media Group Broadcast CentreStudio

    Antill

  • TelstraTelephone
  • Little Watson Dirt JumpsTrack
  • Australian Catholic University - Signadou CampusUniversity
  • Waste Basket (3)

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Parks & reserves

6 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Billabong ParkPark
  • Justice Robert Hope ParkPark
  • Justice Robert Hope Park Nature ReserveNature reserve
  • Maliyan ParkPark
  • Valour ParkPark
  • Watson Micro-forestPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
11.1%
Woodland / forest cover
0.5%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
29
Parks (OSM)
26
Typical summer maximum
27°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Places of worship

2 places of worship within ~1.5 km

  • C3 Church Watson

    Aspinall Street

  • Holy Rosary Church

From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
1
Nearest hospital
Calvary Bruce Private Hospital (6.5 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
Not in suburb
GP clinics in suburb
1
GPs tagged bulk billing (OSM)
0 of 1

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

  • Watson General PracticeGP

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
183
Participants per 1,000 residents
24.5

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

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 (12%)

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· 6 proposals

  • August 2026

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • June 2026

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • April 2026

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • February 2026

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALActive
  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
2025· 11 proposals

  • December 2025

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • November 2025

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • October 2025

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALActive
  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALActive

  • June 2025

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • May 2025

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • April 2025

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • February 2025

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • January 2025

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
2024· 9 proposals

  • October 2024

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • July 2024

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • June 2024

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • May 2024

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • February 2024

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
2023· 16 proposals

  • December 2023

  • SUBC
    WATSON · MAJURACompleted
  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • November 2023

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • October 2023

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • September 2023

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • July 2023

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • June 2023

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • April 2023

  • SUBC
    WATSON · MAJURACompleted

  • March 2023

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

  • February 2023

  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted
  • SUBC
    WATSON · CANBERRA CENTRALCompleted

Data sources & freshness

  • Active & completed development applications — ACT Planning · 2026 · Updated

Heritage

10 heritage places

  • Aboriginal Places in all DistrictsCF23 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Aboriginal Places in all DistrictsIF13 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Aboriginal RecordingsNW14 - Aboriginal Place or Object (not registered but protected under Heritage Act 2004)
  • Aboriginal RecordingsNWST14 - Aboriginal Place or Object (not registered but protected under Heritage Act 2004)
  • McKeown House109 Irvine St3 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Signadou and Blackfriars Precinct 3 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Signadou and Blackfriars Precinct 3 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Signadou and Blackfriars Precinct 3 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Starlight Drive-In Theatre Sign 3 - Registered Places or Objects
  • Starlight Drive-In Theatre Sign 3 - Registered Places or Objects

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Heritage listings as established streetscape

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies
Flood / inundation overlay
0.4% of suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via ACT Bushfire Prone Area (SBMP 2026) mapping. Flood cover uses the 1% AEP flood extent against the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Canberra
Member of Parliament
Alicia PAYNE (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
102,942
Turnout (2025)
92.7%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+4.0 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 23.6%Labor 76.4%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 4.1 km away).

Coalition 15.5%Labor 84.5%

8.1 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +4.6 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • WatsonLabor 85.1% · Coalition 14.9% TPP (2025)0.4 km away
  • Dickson EastLabor 80.1% · Coalition 19.9% TPP (2025)1.6 km away
  • DownerLabor 84.0% · Coalition 16.0% TPP (2025)1.6 km away
  • DicksonLabor 79.3% · Coalition 20.7% TPP (2025)2.1 km away
  • Ainslie NorthLabor 87.2% · Coalition 12.8% TPP (2025)2.4 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

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
10/10
IRSD decile (2021)
10/10

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 (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

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.