| Shining a Light on Regional Movers
Liz Ritchie CEO Regional Australia Institute (RAI) | | | The mission of the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) is to be the pre-eminent, authoritative source of independent information and policy advice on issues affecting regional Australia. So this week’s launch of the Regional Movers Index (RMI) is an ideal example of providing new and timely insights that help inform better policy making. The RMI is developed in conjunction with our Regional Australia Council 2031 (RAC2031) member –
the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. This index fills the current knowledge gap on where city movers are settling in regional Australia, thereby identifying emerging hotspots needing fresh thinking on housing and infrastructure. It’s our hope that it will give decision makers, including government, additional data intelligence to plan for the country’s growth.
The current report shows a 7% increase in metro movers to regional Australia, leading to a net migration surge of 66% in the March quarter. Larger centres such as the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Greater Geelong, Wollongong and Newcastle were the most popular destinations. Drilling down into annual growth figures for the past 12 months, however, shines a light on the strong performance of local government areas including Noosa, Southern Downs, Port Macquarie, Launceston and Fraser Coast, as well as Greater Shepparton, Ballarat, Orange, Quenbeyan-Palerang and Baw Baw.
Once again we see a further rise in our Regional Jobs Vacancy figures, with a new record of 69,300 vacancies in May, explaining the frustration of many regional communities which are unable to meet labour demands. It is with this knowledge that I was honoured to join the Ministerial Advisory Council on Skilled Migration (MACSM) –
Chaired by Innes Willox AM – which seeks to bring new approaches to the existing challenges we are facing right across our nation. Over the past six months, our busy team has been working on some incredible projects that continue to provide regional intelligence. One featured this month is the start-up called Active Farmers, which was designed to enhance community cohesion and engagement through exercise, but which fundamentally achieved so much more for over forty-five rural communities across Australia.
I am also pleased to share that our
Move to More campaign is in full swing, with TV and radio advertisements, billboards and social media now potentially reaching millions of residents in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth. Our new website movetomore.com.au is also now live, and we are keenly watching the visitation data to provide future insights. Since we launched, the top five towns people are researching include Port Douglas, Kings Point, Bendigo, Albury and Yeppoon! To stay up to date, please follow our Move to More social pages
- Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Over the past few months, many Council representatives across the country have helped us add information to the 1700+ individual town and city pages on the website, so we thank you for your assistance. If you are from a Council and would like to make changes to your “town” pages, please email us at
info@regionalaustralia.org.au. We are also asking Regional Councils to help us amplify the message of the campaign, and so we have provided a Supporters Pack with free campaign assets. These can be downloaded and used free of charge, enabling you to promote your region and encourage people to move there. To get your copy, please click here.And finally, we would like to thank the Hon Dan Tehan, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, for headlining the final Horizons leadership session to announce the winner. The program, led by RAI in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, is coming back for a second series in August! Applications open soon. Send a request to trade@dfat.gov.au to be placed on the mailing list. Stay safe and stay connected.
#RegionalAus #RegionsRising #MoveToMore | | | |
NOTICE Applications for the Horizons program to re-open in July 2021 If you would like to be put on the Horizons mailing list to be notified of the next program, please send your request to trade@dfat.gov.au.
WATCH ONLINE Housing in Regional Australia: Meeting a Growing Demand | 20 May 2021 Regions Rising Series 2021-22 is brought to you by RAI, in partnership with NBN and Nutrien Ag Solutions. Watch last month's webinar here: youtube.com ON TV Movin' to the Country | With Hosts Craig Quartermaine, Kristy O'Brien and Halina Baczkowski Tune in this Friday, 2 July, at 7:30 pm (AEST) on ABC TV and ABC iview.
IN THE NEWS Move to More: Leaving the big smoke for a better life has never been easier | Tamra Carr, Madelin Hayes | The West Australian
IN THE NEWS Inland Queensland's top destination for city migrants and people fleeing coastal 'yuppiedom' | Nathan Morris | ABC Southern Qld In partnership with the Commonwealth Bank, the Regional Australia Institute has used banking data to create a regional movers index. Read about the Regional Movers Index here: abc.net.au
IN THE NEWS Gold Coast tops regional migration list for March quarter | Fiona Carruthers | Financial Review The Gold Coast was the most popular destination among "metro-movers" fleeing capital cities during the 2021 March quarter. Read more here: afr.com
IN THE NEWS Debunking the myths around life in regional Australia | Domain Group Read about the myths associated with Regional Australia here: domain.com.au | |
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