The LGA based definition had 4,999,184 people defined as “Melbourne” and an extra 46,082 in Mitchell Shire. The red boundary is the state government LGA-based definition of Melbourne, plus to the north, Mitchell Shire which is in lockdown. The blue boundary is the Greater Melbourne area, which in 2019 had an Estimated Resident Population of 5,078,193 people. Here is a map of the differences between the ABS “Greater Melbourne” and the lockdown area defined by the state government The Greater Melbourne definition which is based on SA2s is the one you see in profile.id and economy.id as a benchmark for all our Melbourne Local Government clients, and also as the definition of Melbourne when quoting the official population of the metropolitan area. Mitchell Shire wasn’t part of that at all, but the newer, updated definition of Greater Melbourne, which has been in use for the past two Censuses includes a part of Mitchell Shire in Melbourne anyway, along with a few other areas outside the LGA-based boundary of Melbourne. In actual fact, that definition of Melbourne is an older one – similar to but not exactly the same as the “Melbourne Statistical Division”, which the ABS used prior to 2011. The Victorian government has gone with a Local Government Area-based definition of Melbourne, with a list of 31 Local Government Areas that they define as “Melbourne” in stage 3 restrictions, plus Mitchell Shire, which they regard as outside Melbourne, always adding this to the definition “Melbourne + Mitchell Shire” for the lockdown. But when you have roadblocks, restricted travel, and residents on one side of a line having freedoms while others are required to stay home or face strict penalties, the boundary takes on a whole new meaning! But normally it’s a fairly academic interest, important for statistics, and deciding whether Melbourne or Sydney is Australia’s largest city. We’ve often reported on these boundary issues – people do care where you draw the line that marks one region from another. Particularly the inclusion of the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne – many residents think it should be in regional Victoria, and so not subject to lockdowns. One question which we knew would come up is “What is the boundary of Melbourne?”. No family gatherings, only 4 reasons to leave home, cafes restricted to take-away only, no sports or event etc. Last week, with COVID-19 taking hold again, we woke to the bad news that Melbourne was going back into stage 3 lockdown restrictions to try to contain the spread once more. Read more about how COVID-19 has impacted your local area in our interactive whitepaper. Glenn compares the different definitions of ‘Melbourne’, and why the boundaries are different under each definition. As people who tell stories about places, it’s a question that’s always central to our work. When ‘Melbourne and Mitchell Shire’ went back into lockdown last week, it made the question of ‘where-you-draw-the-boundary-on-a-place’ an issue of personal interest to many people.
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