South Australian population growth lags nation, figures reveal
Adelaide is growing but the same can’t be said for all regions of South Australia as new population figures reveal worrying trends.
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South Australia continues to lag behind other states in population growth, with several regional areas recording worrying declines , new figures show.
Sunday Mail analysis of the latest population data – released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics – shows that in the last financial year there were 27 suburbs, regions or towns with fewer people than the previous year.
In regional SA, 19 out of 27 districts recorded population drops, with Naracoorte and Port Augusta falling by 1.7 per cent. Also down were Roxby Downs at 1.5 per cent and Outback SA at 1.2 per cent.
Population growth in regional SA grew at just 0.4 per cent, marginally in front of the Northern Territory and Western Australia, which both registered negative growth.
The greater Adelaide region increased by 13,900 people – or 1 per cent. But this was behind every other capital with the exception of Darwin.
Mount Barker led the growth rate with 850 people new residents.
More than 17,000 people call Mount Barker home, and its council predicts that figure will balloon to 40,000 by 2040 as more people are drawn to the Adelaide Hills for its lifestyle and home affordability.
The Munno Para West and Angle Vale region also had a notable growth rate increase of 5.8 per cent.
Property Council SA executive director Daniel Gannon, said SA “has struggled in recent times to make a meaningful dent in the population problem”.
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“Given the current COVID-19 challenges and the threat to our health sector and economy, it’s understandable that population growth has been, and will be, deprioritised as a public policy issue,” Mr Gannon said.
“However, once we defeat this virus and move through to the recovery phase, we should revisit this issue to ensure SA doesn’t fall further behind the pack.”
Last week, the Sunday Mail revealed the Local Government Association of SA was urging the State Government to have one in three public sector employees working in regional areas. However, the suggestion has been dismissed by Treasurer Rob Lucas.
The latest population figures show that the number of people living in Greater Adelaide region increased by 13,900 to 1,359,800.
Melbourne grew by 2.3 per cent, Brisbane by 2.1 per cent and Sydney by 1.7 per cent.