bcworld

The question is often asked...now we have another dodgy quality of life survey to get our teeth into!

Smaller cities most liveable for families

A GREAT deal is made of Melbourne's much-vaunted ''liveability'' and Sydney's glam harbourside lifestyle.
But for families who grow weary of the rat race, it seems the sedate Tasmanian city of Launceston is the country's most family-friendly place.

Bit of a different result to some of the others...but as usual Brisbane still comes bottom of the major cities (24th).

Kim67

I love Launceston, we seriously thought of moving there after visiting as my husband works from home and can base himself anywhere. It's a great city. Problem with Tasmania is finding work though if you have to.

chris955

Every one of these surveys contradicts the last one, I have no idea where they dig up the 'facts' they are based on ? Toowoomba 3rd on the list
I personally wouldnt live in any city anywhere.
Read some of the comments following the story, it is clearly impossible to reach a concensus which makes these surveys pointless but entertaining.

ozzieeagle

I'm surprised that Launceston and Toowomba have City status personally.

Do they both have cathederals or something ? Do Aus Cities have to qualify with Cathederals ?

chris955

I think more than 500 people have to live there.

quoll

Don't be silly, Chris, it's 507 for city status!!!!

Good to see Canberra ranked so highly. Much underrated by the SydBrisMelAdelPerthites!

roaringmouse

I would love to live in Tassie, although I prefer Hobart - though as you say finding work is the problem. Doubt it, UK cities don't have to have one since the late 19th century.

mikelincs

They now get city status by royal decree, or at least the government decide. They create a new city every so often like during the diamond jubilee etc.

roaringmouse

In other words, towns enter a popularity contest to determine which one(s) is chosen to carry the largely pointless label of "city".

Of course you also got pretenders, like the towns of Milton Keynes and Reading which like to think of themselves as a city (whatever that status is meant to carry).

fish.01

Toowoomba has a cathedral and university. District pop around 130,000.

fish.01

You weren't involved in the judging were you ?

Would like to know the criteria they used in this. If it was just things like low traffic and low house prices but not job availability or public facilities then I guess that's a given that big cities like Melbourne and Sydney would be beaten by small places.

Kim67

I saw the guy from Suncorp Bank who put the list together and it was based on things like income, housing affordability, education, unemployment, crime rate. The major cities were brought way down by housing affordability.

chris955

I saw another thread where someone was talking about Townsville being rated so highly and how great it was but it was one if the worst for crime, wouldnt a very high crime rate immediately make it LESS good for families ?