A flood of migrants from the eastern states – coupled with the slow return of overseas workers and students – has propelled WA to the second strongest population growth in the nation.
The number of people living in West Australia increased by 32,200 – or the equivalent of 1.2 per cent – in the year to March, according to figures compiled by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
That trailed only Queensland (1.8 per cent population growth) for fastest in Australia – and was double the rate achieved by NSW (0.5 per cent) and Victoria (0.6 per cent).
That national average was 0.9 per cent, thanks in large part to the softening of international borders that allowed net overseas migration to reach around 110,000 in the 12 months to March.
While WA – where international border controls persisted until February – captured only a sliver of those foreigners (2634), the state lured more than 9500 net interstate migrants to the west.
The remainder of the population growth was the result of “natural increase” – or new babies.
Only Queensland, with an eye-watering 54,000 interstate migrants, did a better job of attracting Australians from other states.
The vast majority of people relocating to both the Sunshine State and WA were leaving NSW and Victoria, which lost nearly 60,000 residents to interstate migration between them.
After nearly a decade of negative interstate migration dating back to mid-2013, WA has now recorded seven straight quarters during which more Australians have moved to the state than have left for greener pastures in other jurisdictions.
Net interstate migration to WA totalled 5351 in 2020-21 according to the ABS and is likely double that result for the current financial year, having already reached 8898 through three quarters.
Originally from WA, Jack Rubery and Gabbi Mottershead – who both work in the rail industry – moved to Queensland in 2014 before relocating again to Newcastle in NSW in 2019.
The arrival of the COVID pandemic – and WA’s shut borders – meant that first-born child Oli waited six months to meet his grandparents during a brief visit over Christmas of 2020.
When Ms Mottershead fell pregnant with their second son Augie in mid-2021, the family made the decision to head back to WA, arriving in Perth in February.
“After going through a year of no family support and not knowing when the borders would be open for good we decided to move back,” she said.
WA’s largely COVID-free status through the majority of the pandemic allowed the state to avoid extended lockdowns, making it an attractive destination for people in NSW and Victoria subjected to months and months of restrictions.
A booming WA economy – the result of soaring commodity prices as well as billions of government stimulus spending – has driven the unemployment rate to a near record low 3.1 per cent, the best in the country.
Source: The West Australian