Post-Census updates
JobSeeker recipients
This page tracks JobSeeker and Youth Allowance (other) recipients for Western Downs (R) at SA2 level. It provides a more current signal of labour-market stress and socio-economic pressure than Census-only views.
Related topics
About this topic
This page tracks JobSeeker and Youth Allowance (other) recipients for Western Downs (R) at SA2 level. It provides a more current signal of labour-market stress and socio-economic pressure than Census-only views.
The current comparison uses January 2026 against June 2023. Rates are calculated against the available ERP 15-64 population for each period.
Key insight
In January 2026, 1,964 people in Western Downs (R) were receiving JobSeeker or Youth Allowance (other), equal to 9.1% of the working-age population, compared with 1,679 (7.9%) in June 2023. Tara (part) had the highest current rate and Banana (part) the lowest.
1,964
Recipients January 2026
9.1% of 15-64 population
+285
Change since June 2023
7.9% to 9.1%
22.2%
Highest SA2 rate
Tara (part)
5.7%
Lowest SA2 rate
Banana (part)
Chart view
Recipients by SA2
Current rate on the bar, comparison rate as the marker. Sorted by current rate.
Tara (part)
22.2%
19.0%
Miles - Wandoan (part)
8.7%
6.8%
Jondaryan (part)
7.6%
6.7%
Wambo (part)
7.5%
6.8%
Chinchilla
6.8%
5.6%
Banana (part)
5.7%
4.2%
Data table
JobSeeker rates by SA2
Download recipient counts and rates for the current and comparison months.
| SA2 | January 2026 recipients | January 2026 rate | June 2023 recipients | June 2023 rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tara (part) | 538 | 22.2% | 458 | 19.0% |
| Miles - Wandoan (part) | 230 | 8.7% | 180 | 6.8% |
| Jondaryan (part) | 3 | 7.6% | 2 | 6.7% |
| Wambo (part) | 809 | 7.5% | 724 | 6.8% |
| Chinchilla | 385 | 6.8% | 315 | 5.6% |
| Banana (part) | 0 | 5.7% | 0 | 4.2% |