2035.0 - Census of Population and Housing: Population Growth and Distribution, Australia, 1996  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 27/05/1998   
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MEDIA RELEASE

May 27, 1998
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
54/98
Most Australians still live near the coast - ABS

Around four out of five Australians lived within 50kms from the coast in 1996 according to the latest estimates from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The report, Population Growth and Distribution, Australia, showed that 83 per cent of Australian's lived within 50 kms of the coastline while 86 per cent of people lived in urban areas.

In the five years to 1996 Australia's population grew by one million people with two thirds of that growth (656,500) occurring in capital cities. Most population growth occurred along the coastline of New South Wales, and Queensland.

In the five years to 1996 the statistical local area of Liverpool in Sydney had the highest increase of all statistical local areas in Australia with 22,900 people while the statistical local area of Waverly East in Melbourne had the largest decrease (-3,600). This reflects the general pattern of movement within capital cities, which is mainly from inner and middle suburbs to the outer suburbs.

Between 1991 and 1996 6.6 million Australians (43 per cent) moved. Most (71 per cent) of these moves were for short distances. The largest single interstate move was from New South Wales to Queensland (256,500). Young adults, recent migrants and Indigenous people were more likely to move than the rest of the population.

More details on where people live, population growth and decline and internal migration in Australia, plus small areas population estimates from 1991 through to 1996 are in Population Growth and Distribution, Australia, 1996 (cat. no. 2035.0).