The latest data from the Bureau of Statistics show that Australia’s population increase as a result of immigration is slowing, while there is an increase in people moving to Victoria from other states and territories.
In 2014, the net overseas migration figure was 184,100 people, a fall of 15% from 2013. Migration to Australia added 473,500 people to the population, down 5.3% on the previous year.
As Victoria recorded its highest interstate migration level for over 40 years, there were 2,700 arrivals from New South Wales, 2,100 from South Australia and 1,400 from Western Australia. Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland all saw more people leave in 2014 than arrived, though their populations increased overall due to births exceeding deaths.
Australia’s population increased by 330,200 (1.4%) to 23.6million at the end of 2014 by the end of last year.
Carolyn Whitzman, a professor of urban planning at the University of Melbourne, says: “The problem is, we aren’t planning for the future. The bottom line is, whether Melbourne, Sydney and Perth grow at all, there is a need for better kinds of housing, transport and social infrastructure, like schools and healthcare.”
