THE further away from a capital city a person lives the less likely they are to have a post-secondary qualification, new analysis confirms. That is with the exception of south-western Sydney which has the third lowest attainment rate in the country after remote Northern Territory and outback Queensland. The analysis from the Australian Bureau of Statistics of 2011 census data reveals that a half of all Australians hold a post-school qualification of certificate III or above. Just over 17 per cent hold a certificate III or IV, while 16.6 per cent hold a bachelor degree. But the data reveals significant differences in attainment between city dwellers and their regional cousins in younger age groups, but the reverse for people aged over 40. While 24 per cent of city based 20-29 year olds hold a certificate III or above, that drops to 20 per cent for the regions. Conversely, 20 per cent of 50-50 year old city dwellers hold a post-school qualification rising to 23 per cent among regional folk. Jan Thomas, acting head of the Regional Universities Network, said the ABS analysis used 2011 data and therefore did not include increases in university participation since the demand-driven system had got into full swing. National prosperity linked to regional development because two thirds of national productivity comes from the regions. We need to ensure everyone can fulfil their potential and so help contribute to national prosperity," Professor Thomas, who is vice-chancellor of Southern Queensland University, said. The data shows the highest attainment was on the North Shore of Sydney were over 69 per cent of residents held post-school qualifications, followed by the inner-East of Melbourne and inner-city Perth (both 65 per cent). However, only 37 per cent of residents of south-western Sydney held a post-school qualification, with four out of every five of them being unemployed.