After more than a decade of strong interstate migration to Western Australia, the number of people moving to the west coast is being outstripped by the number of Sandgropers heading for the east coast, according to new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
WA’s overall population growth slowed to 2.1 per cent in the year to September, which was still the strongest result of all the states, while the national growth rate dropped to a three-year low of 1.53 per cent.
Phil Browning from the ABS said population growth in WA was at its lowest rate in over nine years, and was down from a high of 3.7 per cent just two years ago.
“This is partly due to a drop in net interstate migration from 11,400 people two years ago to just 300 (in the year to September 2014),” Mr Browning said.
The quarterly ABS data shows that WA actually lost 209 people through net interstate migration in the June and September quarters - the first time this has happened since 2003.
This was partly offset by continued international migration to WA and natural increase.
Adding together the overseas migration (10,911), the natural increase (4,954) and net interstate migration (-176), WA's overall population jumped by 15,689 in the September quarter.
Australia’s total population increased by 354,600 people to reach 23.6 million by the end of September, or 1.53 per cent in growth rate terms.
In a statement, CommSec said population growth was still at a healthy level, but an ease in the recent quarter was largely due to a slowdown in migration.
“Importantly, population growth is still amongst the fastest across the OECD nations and as such more people coming to Australia means greater demand for houses, cars and retail items,” CommSec said.
“Some people aren’t convinced that faster population growth is a good thing. It is all about striking the right balance.
“If we need more workers and we can’t get them locally, it makes sense that we bring them in from abroad. It is vital that supply and demand for workers is brought into balance,” it said.
A total of 203,900 people migrated to Australia over the year to September, well off the low of a gain of 172,100 in the year to December 2010.
“The record high was 315,700 in-bound migrants over the year to December 2008,” CommSec said.
“There were 303,100 babies born in the past year, just shy of the record 312,200 births in the year to September 2013, and deaths were at a record high of 152,200.”
Queensland was the worst affected by population growth, slowing to its lowest rate in 15 years.
The sunshine state’s growth rate was just 1.5 per cent for the year.