3106.0 - Demography News, Jun 2004  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 30/06/2004   
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POPULATION UP IN CAPITAL CITY FRINGES AND THE COAST

The outer areas of capital cities and coastal Australia experienced the highest population growth in 2002-03.The outer Melbourne suburban Local Government Area (LGA) of Melton recorded Australia's highest annual growth rate during 2002–03 of 11.8% (6,900 people). Other large growth areas within Melbourne occurred in the fringe LGAs of Casey and Wyndham (up 10,900 and 7,300 people respectively). In Sydney, the outer LGAs of Baulkham Hills and Blacktown also experienced large growth (up 4,100 and 3,400 people).

Behind Brisbane City (up 20,800 people), the City of Gold Coast in Queensland recorded the second largest increase in population of all LGAs (up 16,100 people). In New South Wales, the largest increases in coastal population occurred in Tweed (up 2,100 people), Hastings (up 1,400 people) and Port Stephens (up 1,300 people). In Victoria, Bass Coast (up 960 people) and Surf Coast (up 550 people) had the largest gains. Western Australia also experienced continuing strong growth with the coastal regions of Mandurah (up 3,600 people), and Busselton (up 700 people) increasing.

The inland regional centres of NSW LGAs Maitland and Queanbeyan (up 1,200 and 1,100 people respectively), the statistical district of Albury-Wodonga (up 1,200 people) on the New South Wales/Victorian border, and the Victorian LGAs of Greater Bendigo and Ballarat (up 1,500 and 1,400 people respectively) all continued to gain population.

For more information please contact Victoria Smith on (02) 6252 7883 or victoria.smith@abs.gov.au