Migration to the regions slows, but still up on pre-Covid levels

New migration data shows people are still running from cities for the regions, but at a lesser pace. See where they headed in the June quarter.

Record levels of migration from capital cities to the regions is slowing down, but people are still flocking to regional areas despite the end of Covid lockdowns and border closures.

New data from the Commonwealth Bank and the Regional Australia Institute has found net migration to regions in the June quarter was 30.2 per cent higher than two years prior to the pandemic.

Torquay: Coastal centres proved the most popular choice for Aussies moving from the city in the last quarter.

However net migration to smaller towns and cities has declined 35 per cent since the March quarter, showing people in the regions have resumed the well-trodden path of migration to capital cities.

Millennials, people aged between 24 and 40, were the most likely to make the move to the regions, the report found.

Commonwealth Bank regional and agribusiness executive general manager Paul Fowler said agriculture and manufacturing were among the beneficiaries of the latest migration trends.

“Regional economies are booming, many businesses are investing and innovating to strengthen their capabilities and grow, and this is creating new employment options for jobseekers in many regional towns and cities across the country,” Mr Fowler said.

“This is particularly in key sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing where there continues to be strong production and revenue growth.”

South Australian regions had huge growth with Mount Gambier experiencing a 90 per cent increase in regional movement over the year, Port Augusta rising 63 per cent and the Yorke Peninsula 50 per cent. Moorabool in Victoria also grew significantly with a 54 per cent increase, while Bathurst in NSW rose 39 per cent.

Coastal centres were the favoured destinations for city escapees. Topping the list was the Gold Coast, which welcomed 11 per cent of all capital city movers, followed by the Sunshine Coast (6 per cent), Greater Geelong (4 per cent), Wollongong (2 per cent) and Lake Macquarie (2 per cent).