The consultation results received by Armidale Regional Council (ARC) need to be examined carefully and interpreted professionally.
According to the 2021 ABS Census (the most recent census in Australia), the total usual resident population of the ARC Local Government Area (LGA) was 29,124. The number of respondents to the recent ARC survey is about 1,800, which is quite a small percentage of the population.
It is noteworthy that an unusually large number of submissions did not include an address, despite the ARC General Manager advising people submitting responses to provide their name and address.
Among those recorded as supporting the rail trail, 39.5% did not provide an address. These responses should not have been included when determining whether residents of the ARC local government area support the proposal.
Of the remaining responses, only 306 respondents, or 25.5%, were from within the ARC area. By comparison, 549 respondents, or 35.1%, were from outside the local government area.
This clearly shows that only a minority of those supporting the rail trail were residents of the Armidale region. Therefore, the headline figure that 80.2% of respondents support the rail trail can be misleading if it is presented as evidence that 80.2% of local residents support the proposal.
Statistics must be read, analysed and interpreted carefully. The key question is not simply how many submissions supported the rail trail, but who submitted them, where they lived, and whether they were local residents affected by the proposal.
Dr Siri Gamage
Armidale Transport Advocate
New England Network
22-jul-2026