Western Australia registered its largest net population loss from interstate migration on record in the 2016-17 financial year, after nearly 14,000 departed to other parts of the country.
Western Australia registered its largest net population loss from interstate migration on record in the 2016-17 financial year, after nearly 14,000 departed to other parts of the country.
A new analysis of population trends by the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed interstate migration movements over the past 10 years, with WA losing a net 13,934 people in FY17 and a net 10,000 in FY16.
"Western Australia experienced its highest net loss to other states on record, with a net loss of 14,000 people,” ABS migration statistics director Myles Burleigh said.
The ABS study found WA recorded net gains from interstate migration in the six years to 2012-13, with a peak gain of 8,600 people (net) in 2011-12 at the height of the resources construction boom.
In contrast, WA has experienced a net loss in each of the past four financial years.
In terms of net overseas migration, WA gained 13,384 people in FY17 while Australia as a whole gained 262,489 people - meaning WA attracted only five per cent of overseas migrants.
Within the national total, Perth’s net regional overseas migration was about 10,000, behind Sydney (84,7000), Melbourne (80,000) and Brisbane (18,000).
Perth recorded the second worst result for net regional internal migration of all the capital cities, with a loss of 6,900 people, behind Sydney (-18,100).
Perth’s north-west region accounted for the largest share of the loss, with a net result of 3,706 departures.
Nationally, Mr Burleigh said that the number of people moving interstate was the highest in 13 years, and the number of arrivals of overseas migrants was the highest on record.
"However, factoring in departures, in net terms overseas migration was 262,000, which is below the record high of 300,000 in 2008-09,” he said.
Of the 539,000 people who migrated to Australia in 2016-17, 315,000 arrived on a temporary visa, including just over 150,000 international students, just over 50,000 working holiday makers, and 32,000 workers on temporary skill visas.
There were 106,000 migrants that arrived on permanent visas including 45,800 on skill visas, 29,800 on family visas and 23,900 on humanitarian visas.
Mr Burleigh said that NSW had the largest population increase from net overseas migration of any state or territory, with an addition of 104,000 people.