The poorest suburb in Australia, based on recent Australian Taxation Office (ATO) data (around 2023-2024), is often cited as Callaghan, NSW (University of Newcastle area) (Postcode 2308), with an extremely low average taxable income, alongside other university-dominated areas like UNSW (Postcode 2052), due to student populations. However, other data points to remote regional areas like Copeville, SA (Postcode 5308), and parts of rural NSW or QLD (like Gurley, NSW (2398) or Marshlands, QLD (4611)) as having very low incomes, often affected by drought, with figures varying slightly by report.
For example, 25% of people living in Tasmania and South Australia are in the lowest 20% income group, while 23% of people in Western Australia and around 30% of people in the Territories are in the highest 20% income group.
But despite the economic uptick of recent years, Tasmania is still the poorest Australian state.
Definition and Purpose of Blacklisting
Lender blacklists are secret lists of suburbs that banks see as risky. When a suburb is on this list, it's harder to get a loan there. Banks use these lists to lower their risk of losing money on loans. Blacklists help banks decide where to lend.
Perth has surpassed Sydney as the least affordable capital city in Australia, relative to household incomes. Albo''s legacy -poverty & antisemetic violence.
Firstly, the unhappiest city in Australia is Darwin. About 23. 4% of the population here is experiencing anxiety.
Mungallala Methodist Church was built in 1964. It has now closed. In 2016, the Australian Taxation Office listed Mungallala as having the lowest mean taxable income by postcode, making it the poorest town in Australia, which led the ABC to do a documentary on the town for their online "storyhunters" program.
According to the ATO's latest figures, the lowest-earning suburbs in Australia are Callaghan and Newcastle University, which are located in the city of Newcastle in New South Wales. See the full list of postcodes below. Source: Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
Rockhampton. Rockhampton is the most dangerous city in Australia. According to the reports, it has a crime index of 67.2, which is one of the major contributors to the country's higher rate. It has a crime rate of 132 per 1000 people, with most of the cases for theft, burglary, and assault.
Suburbs set for a boom in 2025, particularly in Australia, are driven by affordability, lifestyle appeal (beaches, cafes), infrastructure (new transport links), and demographic shifts, with hotspots identified in Perth's northern coastal areas (Alkimos, Yanchep), Regional Queensland (Toowoomba), Melbourne's outer areas (Werribee, Keilor East), and Brisbane's growth zones (Springwood, Gold Coast's Coomera), as people seek value and better living environments outside major city centers.
Poverty rates were highest in non-urban areas in the smallest States and Territories, including 52,000 people outside the capital in Tasmania, 57,000 people outside the capital in South Australia, and 28,000 people in the Northern Territory.
South Sudan is widely considered the poorest country in the world in 2025-2026, consistently ranking first due to extremely low GDP per capita and a high percentage (over 80%) of its population living in extreme poverty, driven by prolonged civil conflict, displacement, and disruption of its agricultural economy. Other nations frequently cited as among the poorest include Burundi, the Central African Republic, and Yemen, also suffering from conflict and instability.
Hobart, Tasmania, is widely recognized as the cheapest major city, but smaller regional towns in Queensland and South Australia can offer even lower living costs.
A low income in Australia varies, but generally involves earning below the median (around $1,425/week in Aug 2025) or below specific government thresholds, like the $948/week ($24,95/hr) National Minimum Wage (as of July 2025) for full-time work, with lower thresholds applying for benefits like the Low Income Health Care Card (around $800/week for singles). For tax purposes, incomes under $37,500-$45,000 might qualify for offsets, while affordable housing eligibility depends heavily on household size, with singles needing under $52,100 annually for low-cost options.
The top 10 issues Australians say are the most concerning
1. Sydney, Australia. Sydney, often known as Australia's financial hub, consistently tops the list of the wealthiest cities in the region.
Low crime rates for your peace of mind
Canberra is officially Australia's #1 safest city, with a crime index rating of 26 out of 100. That places it as the 49th safest city in the world. This ranking comes from Compare the Market Australia, which analysed 6 years of public data from Numbeo's crime index.
According to the latest National Homicide Monitoring Program report (July 2024 – June 2025), Australia saw a total of 277 homicides. Queensland had the highest number, with 111 victims, and Victoria wasn't far behind with 88 victims.
While reports vary slightly, Brisbane is frequently cited as Australia's most congested city by time lost in traffic, often ranking high globally (around 10th) for peak hour delays, with commuters losing dozens of hours annually, though some sources place Melbourne and Sydney as having higher costs or variability. Melbourne and Sydney consistently rank second and third for congestion within Australia.
Tennant Creek is consistently ranked as one of the most disadvantaged and dangerous towns in Australia. In 2017, the estimated homicide rate in Tennant Creek per 100,000 people was 59.6, which was over 11 times as high as the same statistic for the United States as a whole.
Located in Barwon Valley Fun park, surrounded by a fly fishing pond, is an unassuming island. From eye-level, it looks like any island other however from the air, the island can be seen for what is really is - a mini-Australia.
New York: Scarsdale.
The average Scarsdale home is worth $1.6 million, as of June 2025. It's the wealthiest suburb in America.
While several towns vie for the title, Picton (NSW) and Kapunda (SA) are frequently cited as Australia's spookiest, with Picton known for its haunted Mushroom Tunnel and Kapunda for its notorious North Kapunda Hotel and mining history, both featuring numerous ghost stories and paranormal claims. Other contenders include Beechworth (VIC) for its asylum and gaol, and eerie spots like Tasmania's Queenstown, noted for its unsettling atmosphere.
The survey declared that Bendigo is Australia's swearing capital with an average of 21 swears per day, tut tut, followed by Toowoomba (18) and the Gold Coast (17). As usual, we were beaten by bloody Newcastle with 16 daily naughty words, along with Brisbane and Rockhampton.
Woorabinda, west of Gladstone, was ranked the most disadvantaged LGA in the country, followed by Cherbourg, about an hour west of Gympie in the state's south. Yarrabah, Kowanyama, Wujal Wujal and Doomadgee, all in the state's north, were also ranked in the 10 most disadvantaged areas in Australia.