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Home > Products > Bulletins > Interstate Migration, Queensland (Bulletin 6 Census 2001)

Interstate Migration, Queensland (Census 2001 Bulletin no. 6)

Contents


This bulletin contains information on interstate migration to Queensland from other states and territories of Australia between 1996 and 2001. The data on which this information is based were obtained from unpublished results from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2001 Census of Population and Housing. Please note that persons who did not state their place of usual residence, employment status, income level, etc. were redistributed across other categories on a share of population basis.

Key Points

Introduction

Interstate migration is a major contributor to changes in Queensland’s population size, but accurately estimating the magnitude of interstate movement can be difficult. The latest Census of Population and Housing included questions on where the respondent’s usual address was in 2001 and in 1996. The results from these questions allow identification of
interstate migrants.

This bulletin presents a range of comparisons between this group and the incumbent Queensland population (defined as persons whose usual residence was Queensland in both 1996 and 2001).

This method of estimating interstate migration results in an underestimate of actual interstate movements over the five years, as a significant number of persons migrated interstate and returned to their home state within this period. The data exclude those persons aged under five years in 2001, as they obviously had no address in 1996.

Migration status

Queensland’s usual resident population aged five years and over was 3,261,300 at the time of the 2001 Census. Nearly half (49.1 per cent) of these Queensland residents were living in the same place in 2001 as in 1996. Some 30.1 per cent of the population moved but were in the same statistical division as in 1996, 9.3 per cent moved between statistical divisions in Queensland, 7.5 per cent moved from interstate and 3.9 per cent moved from overseas (see Figure 1 and Table 1)(1).

This bulletin presents information on the 7.5 per cent of Queensland residents in 2001 who had moved from interstate since 1996. Other bulletins in this series provide information on intrastate migrants (9.3 per cent of residents) and overseas migrants (3.9 per cent).

(1) The migration data shown in this bulletin differ from some of the information in various ABS publications. See the technical note at the end of this bulletin

Figure 1: Usual residents aged five years and over by usual address five years earlier, Queensland, 2001

Source: ABS, 2001 Census, unpublished data (OESR estimates)

Table 1: Migration status of usual residents aged five years and over since 1996, Queensland, 2001

Since 1996 Persons
('000)		 Per cent
Did not move 1,601.1 49.1
Moved within same SD 983.2 30.1
Moved between Qld SDs 303.2 9.3
Qld incumbent population 2,887.5 88.5
Moved from interstate 245.3 7.5
Moved from overseas 128.5 3.9
Qld migrants 373.8 11.5
Total 3,261.3 100.0
 
SD = statistical division
 
Source: ABS, 2001 Census, unpublished data (OESR estimates)

 

Source of interstate migrants

As expected, New South Wales was the main source of interstate migrants, with 128,700 or 52.5 per cent of those Queensland residents in 2001 who had a usual address in another state or territory in 1996 (see Figure 2). Victoria provided a further 50,200 migrants or 20.4 per cent of the total. Other states and territories combined provided the remaining 66,400 persons or 27.1 per cent of the total.

Figure 2: Source of interstate migrants to Queensland, 1996 to 2001

Source: ABS, 2001 Census, unpublished data (OESR estimates)

Destination of interstate migrants

About seven in ten (70.8 per cent) interstate migrants settled in the south-east corner of Queensland (Brisbane and Moreton Statistical Divisions) between 1996 and 2001, higher than this region’s share of State population of around 65 per cent. Some 97,200 persons settled in Brisbane Statistical Division and 76,500 in Moreton Statistical Division, a region that includes both the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast (see Figure 3).


Figure 3: Interstate migrants by statistical division (a) of settlement, Queensland, 1996 to 2001

(a) Western Queensland comprises South West, Central West and North West Statistical Divisions.
Source: ABS, 2001 Census, unpublished data (OESR estimates)

Sex and age of interstate migrants

Of total interstate migrants to Queensland between 1996 and 2001, 121,400 were males and 123,900 were females. The age structures of the male and female interstate migrants were almost the same (see Figure 4). Slightly more females than males migrated in the younger working age groups (15-24 and 25-34 years) and older age groups (75-84 and 85 and over).

Figure 4: Sex and age of interstate migrants to Queensland, 1996 to 2001

Source: ABS, 2001 Census, unpublished data (OESR estimates)

The age structure of interstate migrants differed from the incumbent Queensland population (see Figure 5). Interstate migrants were younger, being overrepresented in the 5-44 years age groups, particularly the 25-34 years age group, and underrepresented in all older age groups. This pattern is contrary to the sometimes popularly held view that a large proportion of interstate migrants to Queensland are older people.

Figure 5: Age structure of interstate migrants to Queensland, 1996 to 2001, and incumbent population

Source: ABS, 2001 Census, unpublished data (OESR estimates)

Occupations of interstate migrants

The occupational distribution of interstate migrants indicates a slightly higher skill level compared with the incumbent Queensland population (see Figure 6). A total of 26.4 per cent of interstate migrants were managers, administrators and professionals, compared with 24.5 per cent of the incumbent population.

Figure 6: Occupational status of interstate migrants to Queensland, 1996 to 2001, and incumbent population (a)

(a) Persons aged 15 years and over, and employed.
Source: ABS, 2001 Census, unpublished data (OESR estimates)

Similarly, 13.8 per cent of interstate migrants were associate professionals, compared with 12.0 per cent of the incumbent population. In contrast, the unskilled and semi-skilled occupations included a larger proportion of the incumbent population compared with interstate migrants.

Unemployment of interstate migrants

Interstate migrants had a substantially higher unemployment rate than the incumbent Queensland population (see Figure 7). Interstate migrants had an unemployment rate of 13.9 per cent compared with 7.6 per cent for the incumbent population.

Figure 7: Unemployment rate by migration status, Queensland, 2001 (a)

(a) Persons aged 15 years and over, and in the labour force.
Source: ABS, 2001 Census, unpublished data (OESR estimates)

The unemployment rates for interstate migrants showed substantial regional variance (see Figure 8). Interstate migrants settling in Wide Bay-Burnett, Moreton and Darling Downs Statistical Divisions experienced the highest rates with 25.6 per cent, 16.1 per cent and 14.9 per cent respectively. Western Queensland had the lowest unemployment rate for interstate migrants, with 6.1%, as migrants without jobs might be less likely to move to this area than to coastal areas.

Figure 8: Unemployment rate of interstate migrants (a) to Queensland, 1996 to 2001, by statistical division (b)

(a) Persons aged 15 years and over, and in the labour force.
(b) Western Queensland comprises South West, Central West and North West Statistical Divisions.
Source: ABS, 2001 Census, unpublished data (OESR estimates)

Income levels of interstate migrants

There were no discernible differences in the income levels of interstate migrants compared with the incumbent Queensland population (see Figure 9).

Figure 9: Annual individual income of interstate migrants to Queensland, 1996 to 2001, and incumbent population (a)

(a) Persons aged 15 years and over.
Source: ABS, 2001 Census, unpublished data (OESR estimates)

Net migration to Queensland

The above analysis presents a description of those interstate migrants who have settled in Queensland since 1996. To complete the picture, and find the net rate of migration, it is necessary to determine how many of Queensland’s usual residents in 1996 settled in other parts of Australia between 1996 and 2001.

As Table 1 showed, there were 245,300 persons who had moved from interstate between 1996 and 2001 and who were resident in Queensland in 2001. In comparison, 158,900 persons were resident in Queensland in 1996 but resident in other parts of Australia in 2001. This equates to a net migration gain to Queensland of 86,400 persons.

Figure 10 shows that the greatest number of both interstate arrivals and interstate departures were aged 25-34 years, indicating the high mobility of people in this age group. However, the greatest net increases were in the 5-14 years age group (18,600 persons) and the 35-44 years age group (16,000 persons) (see Figure 11). This indicates that a large proportion of interstate migrants to Queensland are families with young children.

Figure 10: Interstate arrivals and departures by age, Queensland, 1996 to 2001

Source: ABS, 2001 Census, unpublished data (OESR estimates)

 

Figure 11: Net interstate migration gain by age, Queensland, 1996 to 2001

Source: ABS, 2001 Census, unpublished data (OESR estimates)

Net migration gain by statistical division

Moreton and Brisbane Statistical Divisions accounted for 85.8 per cent of the total 86,400 net migration gain to Queensland between 1996 and 2001 (see Figure 12). Most other statistical divisions experienced a smaller net gain of interstate migrants. The exception was western Queensland (i.e. the combined statistical divisions of South West, Central West and North West), which had a small net loss of 400 persons.

Figure 12: Net interstate migration gain by statistical division (a), Queensland, 1996 to 2001

(a) Western Queensland comprises South West, Central West and North West Statistical Divisions.
Source: ABS, 2001 Census, unpublished data (OESR estimates)

Technical note

The ABS has published information on interstate migration in Census of Population and Housing: Population Growth and Distribution, Australia, 2001, Cat. no. 2035.0, and Australian Demographic Statistics, December quarter 2002, Cat. no. 3101.0. The ABS method for determining net interstate migration includes both Census data and Medicare change-of address data. The estimates shown in this bulletin are based solely on Census data.

The data in this bulletin are on a usual residence basis, and exclude persons whose usual address in 1996 was either ‘Queensland undefined’, ‘migratory and off-shore’ or ‘no usual address’. Persons who had a ‘not stated’ place of usual residence in 1996 were redistributed across other categories on a pro rata basis.

Last reviewed 1 July 2008