Melbourne is Fastest Growing Australian Capital

Australia’s population for 2008 reached 21.4 million, an increase of 359,300 people over the year. All states and territories experienced population growth according to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, with the largest population increases continuing to be recorded in Australia’s three most populous states. Queensland experienced the greatest growth (up by 97,900 people), followed by Victoria (92,500) and New South Wales (79,200).

For the second year in a row, Western Australia recorded the fastest population growth rate ahead of Queensland, the Northern Territory and Victoria. The remaining states and territories had population growth rates below the Australian average, with Tasmania experiencing the slowest growth.

In each state and territory, population growth generally continued to be most prominent in inner city areas, outer suburbs, some urban infill areas and along the coast; while populations declined in some inland, rural areas, especially those that have been affected by drought in the last few years.

Victoria
Melbourne’s growth of 74,600 people was the largest of all the Australian capital cities, taking the city’s population to 3.9 million. Wyndham, located on the western suburban fringe of Melbourne, experienced the largest and fastest growth (8,900 people or 7.2%) in Victoria. The fastest growth outside of Melbourne continued to occur in coastal areas including the Surf Coast and Bass Coast. Victoria’s population at 30 June 2008 was 5.31 million people.

New South Wales
Sydney grew by 55,000 to 4.4 million people. Blacktown in western Sydney had the largest population increase of any area in NSW, up by 5,300 people, followed by adjacent Parramatta. Outside of Sydney, the fastest growth rates occurred along the NSW coast in the Richmond-Tweed, Mid North Coast, Hunter and South Eastern Districts. The total NSW population was nearing 7 million in 2008.

Queensland
The total population of Queensland reached 4.3 million in 2008. Southeast Queensland, which comprises of Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, and West Moreton, accounts for two-thirds of Queensland’s population. Brisbane experienced the largest growth within Queensland, recording an increase of 43,400 people in the year and reached a population of 1.95 million (or 45% of Queensland’s population). Outside of Southeast Queensland, Cairns had the largest and fastest growth with an increase of 6,000 people (3.9%).

South Australia
In 2008, the population of South Australia was 1.60 million, of which 1.17 million lived in Adelaide. Victor Harbour, on the southern Fleurieu Peninsula, and Mount Barker, in the Mt Lofty Ranges east of Adelaide, were the two fastest growing areas in the state, increasing by 3.5% and 2.9% respectively. The largest growth was in the northern suburbs of the Adelaide; Salisbury experienced the largest increase (2,400) followed by neighbouring Playford, which increased by 2,000.

Western Australia
Western Australia’s population in 2008 increased to 2.17 million people, of which 1.6 million lived in Perth. Three-quarters of Western Australia’s population growth occurred in Perth, which grew by more than 800 people each week on average. However, over one-third of Western Australia’s suburbs outside of the Perth metropolitan area had declining populations.