1380.0.55.005 - Perspectives on Regional Australia: Population Turnover, 2006  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 30/09/2008  First Issue
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MEDIA RELEASE

September 30, 2008
Embargoed 11.30 am (AEST)
97/2008

ACT and NT regions have the highest turnover of residents: ABS


A new analysis of Census data by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows which regions of Australia had the highest and lowest turnover in their population in the five years to 2006.

This combination of people arriving and departing from regions reveals a different story than simple population growth or decline alone. The region with the highest turnover, located in Darwin in the Northern Territory, had large numbers of arrivals but even more departures - resulting in a net loss of residents.

The twenty Statistical Local Areas that had the highest turnover, were all in urban areas, primarily in the Northern Territory or the Australian Capital Territory.

These areas included parts of Darwin City as well as Jabiru in the Northern Territory, and Acton and Kingston in the Australian Capital Territory.

In some of these regions - such as inner city areas of Darwin, and Driver in the NT - the number of people arriving in and departing from the region was almost one-for-one.

The twenty Statistical Local Areas that had the lowest turnover in their population were all in rural areas; either in the Northern Territory or Queensland. All of the regions had high proportions of Indigenous people.

Lowest turnover areas include Angurugu and West Arnhem in the NT, and Yarrabah and Aurukun in Queensland.

People between the ages of 15-29 were the most common age group in over half of the high turnover regions, while the most common age group in all low turnover regions was 0-14 years.

More details can be found in Perspectives on Regional Australia: Population Turnover (cat.no. 1380.0.55.05), available for free download from the ABS website <www.abs.gov.au>