According to the Regional Australia Institute (RAI), increasing overseas migration will benefit the growth and sustainability of regional Australia, as outlined in the Centre for Population and Development’s 2022 population statement.
The Regional Australia Institute was founded in 2011 as the nation’s first and only independent think tank. It is dedicated to building active and robust regional communities and improving the quality of life in Australia’s regional towns and cities.
RAI’s report of census data
According to the RAI’s report of census data for the year 2021, it is showed that overseas migrants are not hesitant to live in regional Australia at all. They need enough support and information to do so. Also, in terms of Australian and foreign-born people, 70% of all 254 local government areas that experienced population growth between 2016 and 2021 were located in remote or regional areas.
The data also showed that the international community is helpful in buffering the decrease in some regional areas and communities and hence plays a pivotal role in the growth and sustainability of regional Australia. Between the time period of 2016 and 2021, 103 regional Local Government Associations (LGAs) had a decrease in their Australian population. At the same time, their overseas population was observed to have increased.
The importance of emphasizing that migrants should be given more assistance in settling in rural Australia is one of the main points of RAI’s submission to the Department of Home Affairs study of migration policies. This is done so the regions can draw in and keep overseas people.
Ms. Ritchie said,
Demand to live in regional Australia is not the issue. To have more migrants living in regional Australia, we need to provide further awareness about job opportunities, including job support services, and ensure we have communities with enough housing and critical soft and hard infrastructure.
