PHOTO: Lifestyle is the motivating factor.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has unveiled new data revealing a significant exodus from New South Wales (NSW) as tens of thousands of Australians seek sunnier and warmer climes in Queensland. In the 12 months leading up to March 31 of this year, a net migration outflow of 30,000 individuals occurred from NSW, while Queensland witnessed a net inflow of just over 31,000 individuals from other states.
During this same period, Victoria (-5,644), Tasmania (-1,994), Northern Territory (-2,745), and the Australian Capital Territory (-1,752) also experienced negative interstate migration. However, NSW saw its population increase by a net figure of 156,000 individuals over the same timeframe, primarily due to overseas immigration.
The state recorded a positive ‘natural’ population increase of 33,000, stemming from 96,000 births and 63,000 deaths. Simultaneously, it welcomed 234,010 overseas arrivals while seeing 80,000 departures for international destinations.
A net 30,000 people fled NSW in the 12 months to 31 March this year while more than 31,000 moved interstate to Queensland
Over the course of the 12-month period, NSW’s population experienced a 1.9 percent growth, and all states observed a net population increase. Western Australia led with the most substantial population growth at 2.8 percent, followed by Victoria (2.4 percent), Queensland (2.3 percent), and the Australian Capital Territory (2 percent).
On a national scale, Australia’s total population expanded by 2.2 percent, representing an increase of 563,000 individuals to reach a total of 26.5 million.
According to Beidar Cho, the head of demography at the ABS, 81 percent of this growth, or an addition of 454,400 individuals to the population, can be attributed to net overseas migration in the year leading up to March 2023. During this period, over 680,000 overseas arrivals entered Australia, marking a 103 percent increase compared to the previous year, while 226,000 overseas migrants departed.
The ABS explained this pattern as a “catch-up effect” resulting from the reopening of international borders, particularly with a minimal number of departures due to the limited influx of international students during the pandemic. However, it anticipates that this effect will be temporary, with departures expected to increase in the future as temporary students start departing in the usual numbers.
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