Suburb earns top gong

Tax data shows Main Beach the high end of town

RESIDENTS in the Gold Coast’s glitziest suburbs are earning at least $16,000 a year more than the average Queenslander, according to new tax data.

The income trend figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show those on the Glitter Strip are pulling in an average wage of $56,646, up 15.10 per cent since 2011.

The state average increase over the same six-year period was 11.05 per cent.

The figures calculate the average annual income for earners in the 2016-17 financial year.

Main Beach was the city’s highest earning suburb, with residents banking $79,289 on average in the 2016-17 financial year.

It was followed by Paradise Point/Hollywell ($73,619) and Hope Island ($73,372).

Southport North was one of the poorest areas on the Gold Coast with average annual earnings of $44,724, followed by Coombabah ($47,056) and Labrador ($47,598).

Main Beach Progress Association secretary Georgie Brown said she was surprised her suburb topped the list, but “it is a very nice lifestyle here”.

“I wouldn’t call it luxury but many people here do tend to have higher incomes. A lot of the incomes here are fixed which doesn’t always translate to wealth.”

Ms Brown said the suburb’s big money-making bucks did not always filter back to Main Beach retailers.

“Tedder Ave used to be booming back in the late ’90s retail wise. There has been a bit of a decline,” she said.

Glancing out the window while speaking to the Bulletin yesterday, Ms Brown said she could see a Porsche, Mercedes, Bentley and her “baby” Fiat 500. “I wouldn’t, don’t call this area wildly rich. It is more quietly elegant,” she said.

Booming Palm Beach recorded the biggest increase in average wage, up 27.11 per cent over the six-year period.

The slowest rise in wages were found at Surfers Paradise, which recorded a 4.98 per cent increase.

Upper Coomera workers brought in the highest total amount in the year, earning $1.26 billion.

The smallest total contributors were the residents of Jacobs Well with a total in earnings of $139 million.