[15][16] During the 2006 state election, the Queensland Government prioritised construction of a single-officer police station on the island as it was needed with the increasing population.

[17] In 2007, after a short segment on the Nine television network's nationally broadcast A Current Affair based on the comments made by real estate watcher John Edwards of Residex said that Macleay Island was a "boom suburb" and worth watching by first home buyers.

All the South Moreton Bay Islands received a considerable amount of interest from buyers.

[18] A surge in building followed which forced the Redland City Council revise its population estimates.

However, with a count of 1,479 dwellings, the peak number of people on the islands during holidays and weekends the total population is thought to have been 3,254.

The other top responses for country of birth were England 7.1%, New Zealand 6.7%, Germany 1.4%, Scotland 1.2%, Netherlands 0.6%.

87.9% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 1.2% German, 0.3% Italian, 0.2% French, 0.2% Auslan, 0.2% Greek.