MAIN FEATURES


Population change

State and territory highlights

Capital city growth

Inner-city growth

Outer suburban growth

Urban infill

Growth along the coast

Growth in inland areas

Population declines

Population change by Remoteness Areas

Population density

Centre of population


POPULATION CHANGE

Australia's estimated resident population (ERP) reached 22.33 million at 30 June 2010, increasing by 377,100 people since 30 June 2009. This represents an annual growth rate of 1.7%, the lowest since the year ended 30 June 2006. This is the first time since 2003-04 that Australia's annual growth rate has been lower than its annual average growth rate for the last five years.

All states and territories experienced population growth in 2009-10, with the largest population increases continuing to be recorded in Australia's three most populous states. New South Wales experienced the greatest growth (up by 105,400 people), followed by Victoria (99,300) and Queensland (89,100). This is only the second time in the last nine years that Queensland has not had the largest growth of all states and territories.

For the fourth consecutive year, Western Australia recorded the fastest population growth rate at 2.2% in 2009-10, ahead of Queensland (2.0%), Victoria (1.8%) and the Australian Capital Territory (1.8%). The remaining states and territories had population growth rates below the Australian average, with Tasmania experiencing the slowest growth at 0.9%.

Population growth continued to be most prominent in inner-city areas, outer suburbs, some urban infill areas and along the coast. Areas that have seen decline include inland, rural areas that have been affected by drought in the last few years or mining areas.

The following commentary refers mainly to population changes in Local Government Areas (LGAs). However, in some cases selected Statistical Local Areas (SLAs) are referred to, particularly where LGAs cover multiple SLAs, such as in Brisbane (C), or don't exist, such as in the Australian Capital Territory.


STATE AND TERRITORY HIGHLIGHTS

New South Wales

• Sydney SD reached 4.58 million people, an increase of 75,600 (1.7%), and continued to be the most populated capital city in Australia.
• In 2009-10, nine of the ten fastest-growing LGAs in New South Wales were within Sydney SD, including Canada Bay (A) (3.7%) in the inner west, Parramatta (C) (3.0%) in central western Sydney and Camden (A) (2.9%) in outer south-western Sydney.

Victoria

• Melbourne SD's growth of 79,000 people was the largest of all the Australian capital city SDs in 2009-10.
• The LGA of Wyndham (C), located on the western suburban fringe of Melbourne SD, experienced the largest and fastest growth (12,600 people or 8.8%) of all Victorian LGAs.
• The fastest population growth outside of the Melbourne SD occurred in the coastal LGA of Bass Coast (S) (4.6%).

Queensland

• The three most populous LGAs in Australia, Brisbane (C), Gold Coast (C) and Moreton Bay (R), recorded three of the four largest increases in population in 2009-10. Brisbane (C) increased by 14,800 people, Gold Coast (C) by 12,900, and Moreton Bay (R) by 11,100.
• Outside of south-east Queensland, the LGA of Townsville (C) reported the largest growth in the year to June 2010, with an increase of 4,000 people (2.2%).

South Australia

• Playford (C), in the northern suburbs of Adelaide SD, and Alexandrina (DC) on the Fleurieu Peninsula, were the fastest-growing LGAs in the state, both increasing by 3.0%.
• During 2009-10, the LGAs with the largest population growth in the state were Onkaparinga (C) in Adelaide's southern suburbs and Salisbury (C) in the north, which both increased by 2,400 people.

Western Australia

• Strong population growth continued in the outer suburban fringes of Perth SD.
• South West SD was the state's fastest-growing region (3.0%), followed by Pilbara SD and Perth SD (both 2.3%).
• Together, just five LGAs (Wanneroo (C), Rockingham (C), Stirling (C), Swan (C) and Armadale (C)) accounted for more than one-third of the growth across the state in the year to June 2010.

Tasmania

• Tasmania's population grew by 4,400 people in 2009-10 to 507,600. All four Tasmanian SDs experienced population growth.
• Latrobe (M) (up 4.2%) in the north and Brighton (M) (3.5%) in the south were the fastest-growing LGAs. The LGAs with the largest growth were Clarence (C) (up 800), Kingborough (M) (710) and Brighton (M) (550), all within commuting distance of Hobart.

Northern Territory

• Litchfield (M) and Palmerston (C) were the fastest-growing LGAs in the Northern Territory, increasing by 2.9% and 2.6% respectively.
• Outside of Darwin SD, the fastest-growing LGAs were Victoria-Daly (S) (2.2%), East Arnhem (S) (1.8%) and Roper Gulf (S) (1.8%).

Australian Capital Territory

• In 2009-10, population growth was largest in northern suburban Canberra, especially in the SLAs of Franklin (870 people), Macgregor (800), Forde (380) and Harrison (380).
• For the third year in a row, the combined population of the northern SSDs (185,000 people) was greater than that of the combined southern SSDs (173,500).

CAPITAL CITY GROWTH

At 30 June 2010, more than 14.30 million people, close to two-thirds of Australia's population, resided in a capital city Statistical Division (SD). The combined population of capital city SDs increased by 257,800 in the 12 months to June 2010.

In 2009-10, Melbourne recorded the largest growth of all capital city SDs, increasing by 79,000 people, followed by Sydney (75,600), Brisbane (39,000) and Perth (37,500). Population growth in Melbourne SD equated to an average increase of over 1,500 people per week, while the population of Sydney SD increased by over 1,400 people per week.

Population growth in Australia's capital city SDs occurred at a rate of 1.8% in 2009-10, faster than that in the remainder of Australia (1.5%). Adelaide SD and Greater Hobart SD had the lowest growth rates at 1.3%.


INNER-CITY GROWTH

In 2009-10, the inner-city LGAs of Sydney (C) and Melbourne (C) had population increases among the largest in Australia, increasing by 4,500 and 3,400 people respectively. Perth (C) was the fastest-growing of all the inner capital city LGAs, increasing in population from 17,100 to 18,000 people or 5.1%.

The 2009-10 growth rates in the inner capital city LGAs of Perth (C) (5.1%), Melbourne (C) (3.6%), Sydney (C) (2.5%) and Adelaide (C) (2.2%) were lower than their average annual growth rates over the five years to June 2010. Previous construction of multistorey apartment buildings in these capital city LGAs had led to higher rates of population growth in earlier years.


OUTER SUBURBAN GROWTH

In the 12 months to June 2010, many LGAs which experienced large and/or rapid growth were located on or near the boundaries of capital city SDs, where more land tends to be available for subdivision and housing development. In Melbourne SD, the population in outer suburban Wyndham (C) increased by 12,600 (8.8%), which was both the largest and fastest increase of all Victorian LGAs. Strong growth was also experienced in Whittlesea (C) (up 8,900 people or 6.1%) and Casey (C) (8,100 people or 3.3%).

Among the LGAs with the largest population increases in New South Wales in 2009-10 were outer suburban Blacktown (C) (up 8,300 people), The Hills Shire (A) and Liverpool (C) (both 3,400).

The LGAs of Wanneroo (C) and Rockingham (C), on the northern and south-western outskirts of the Perth SD recorded strong growth in 2009-10, increasing by 6,000 and 3,900 people respectively.

In the Brisbane SD, the largest growth occurred in the outer suburban SLAs of Ipswich (C) - East (3,200 people), Griffin-Mango Hill (2,100) and Ipswich (C) - Central (2,000) for the 12 months to June 2010.

Outer suburban areas in the smaller capital city SDs also experienced some of the strongest growth in their states or territories. In 2009-10, the largest population increases of all LGAs in South Australia were in the outer Adelaide LGAs of Onkaparinga (C) (up 2,400 people), Salisbury (C) (2,400) and Playford (C) (2,300). On the outskirts of Darwin, the population in the SLAs of Lee Point-Leanyer Swamp increased by 730 and in Palmerston (C) Bal by 580. In Greater Hobart, the outer LGA of Clarence (C) increased by 800 people, the largest increase in Tasmania; and in Canberra, the SLAs of Franklin and Macgregor had the largest growth, increasing by 870 and 800 people respectively. The SLAs of Forde and Harrison also had large growth increasing by 380 people each.


URBAN INFILL

Urban infill is the development of a site within an already-developed area, either by building housing on land that was previously vacant or used for non-residential purposes, or by replacing low-density housing with higher-density dwellings. Infill development is becoming more common on transport corridors, near commercial hubs and in suburbs where there are older houses on large blocks of land.

In 2009-10, urban infill contributed to a large population increase in Parramatta (C), Canada Bay (A) and Auburn (C), all located along the Parramatta River in western Sydney, where the population increased by 5,100, 2,800 and 2,200 respectively.


GROWTH ALONG THE COAST

Outside of capital city SDs, the largest population growth generally occurred along the Australian coast in 2009-10. Several LGAs on Queensland's seaboard had large population increases including the Gold Coast (C) (up 12,900 people) and Sunshine Coast (R) (7,500) in south-east Queensland, and Townsville (C) (4,000) and Cairns (R) (3,900) in the north.

In 2009-10, the seaside LGA of Wollongong (C) in NSW experienced the largest growth outside of Sydney SD (up 2,300 people), followed by Lake Macquarie (C) (1,800) and Newcastle (C) (1,500), both on the coast to the north of Sydney.

Many coastal LGAs in Western Australia were also among the fastest-growing in Australia. Rapid population growth occurred in 2009-10 in Capel (S) (5.4%) and Busselton (S) (4.1%).


GROWTH IN INLAND AREAS

Some LGAs in inland areas outside of capital city SDs also experienced rapid growth in the 12 months to June 2010. Chittering (S), which is north of Perth SD experienced the fastest increase of all inland LGAs (up 4.9%).

Other fast growing inland LGAs in 2009-10 include Somerset (R) (4.2%) to the north-west of Brisbane, and Yass Valley (A) (2.8%) and Palerang (A) (2.2%) in New South Wales near the Australian Capital Territory border.


POPULATION DECLINES

Population losses in 2009-10 mainly occurred in inland rural Australia, particularly in north-eastern and south-eastern parts of Australia and in rural Western Australia. These are areas that may have been affected by drought in the last few years or mining areas.

Broken Hill (C) in New South Wales experienced the largest population decline in the year to June 2010 (120 people). Other LGAs with population declines were Yarriambiack (S) (down 70 people), Hindmarsh (S) (60) and Gannawarra (S) (60), all in Victoria.

The fastest declines in population in 2009-10 occurred in Ravensthorpe (S) and Moora (S) in Western Australia, down 2.2% and 1.2% respectively. These were followed by the LGAs of Yarriambiack (S) (0.9%) and Hindmarsh (S) (0.9%) in Victoria.
POPULATION CHANGE BY REMOTENESS AREAS

As at June 2010, 68.7% of the population resided in Australia's major cities, as defined in the Remoteness Structure of the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (cat. no. 1216.0). In comparison, just 2.3% lived in remote or very remote Australia. Major cities and inner regional areas were the fastest-growing remoteness areas (RAs) in Australia (both 1.8%) in the 12 months to June 2010. The remaining RAs grew slower than Australia as a whole (1.7%), with remote areas growing at the slowest rate (0.8%).

The Australian Capital Territory had the greatest proportion of its population living in the major cities RA (99.8%) at June 2010, while Tasmania had the highest percentage (64.8%) living in inner regional Australia, which includes Hobart. The Northern Territory had the highest proportion of its population living in outer regional Australia (56.0%), which includes Darwin, as well as remote (21.2%) and very remote (22.8%) Australia.

In 2009-10, major cities were the fastest-growing RAs in Victoria (1.9%) and New South Wales (1.6%), while inner regional areas were the fastest-growing in Western Australia (3.7%), South Australia (1.8%) and Tasmania (1.0%). In Queensland, major cities and inner regional areas experienced the equal fastest growth (both 2.1%). Outer regional RAs experienced the fastest growth in the Northern Territory (2.1%).

ESTIMATED RESIDENT POPULATION BY REMOTENESS STRUCTURE(a)
		ERP at 30 June		Change
		2009r	2010p	2009r-10p
		no.	no.	no.	%
NSW
	Major Cities	5 195 849	5 279 542	83 693	1.6
	Inner Regional	1 442 816	1 461 618	18 802	1.3
	Outer Regional	451 094	453 948	2 854	0.6
	Remote	32 922	32 991	69	0.2
	Very Remote	4 487	4 490	3	0.1
	Total	7 127 168	7 232 589	105 421	1.5
Vic.
	Major Cities	4 093 699	4 171 765	78 066	1.9
	Inner Regional	1 089 727	1 109 580	19 853	1.8
	Outer Regional	258 452	259 869	1 417	0.5
	Remote	4 734	4 718	-16	-0.3
	Total	5 446 612	5 545 932	99 320	1.8
Qld
	Major Cities	2 644 191	2 699 182	54 991	2.1
	Inner Regional	970 977	991 310	20 333	2.1
	Outer Regional	672 876	685 272	12 396	1.8
	Remote	86 522	87 221	699	0.8
	Very Remote	50 201	50 865	664	1.3
	Total	4 424 767	4 513 850	89 083	2.0
SA
	Major Cities	1 181 789	1 196 731	14 942	1.3
	Inner Regional	198 620	202 195	3 575	1.8
	Outer Regional	183 920	185 061	1 141	0.6
	Remote	46 200	46 494	294	0.6
	Very Remote	13 983	14 101	118	0.8
	Total	1 624 512	1 644 582	20 070	1.2
WA
	Major Cities	1 598 608	1 632 570	33 962	2.1
	Inner Regional	296 159	307 122	10 963	3.7
	Outer Regional	203 175	205 472	2 297	1.1
	Remote	97 388	98 686	1 298	1.3
	Very Remote	49 106	49 660	554	1.1
	Total	2 244 436	2 293 510	49 074	2.2
Tas.
	Inner Regional	325 487	328 815	3 328	1.0
	Outer Regional	167 378	168 380	1 002	0.6
	Remote	7 830	7 865	35	0.4
	Very Remote	2 597	2 583	-14	-0.5
	Total	503 292	507 643	4 351	0.9
NT
	Outer Regional	125 967	128 607	2 640	2.1
	Remote	48 464	48 668	204	0.4
	Very Remote	51 776	52 436	660	1.3
	Total	226 207	229 711	3 504	1.5
ACT
	Major Cities	351 766	357 931	6 165	1.8
	Inner Regional	519	640	121	23.3
	Total	352 285	358 571	6 286	1.8
Australia (b)
	Major Cities	15 065 902	15 337 721	271 819	1.8
	Inner Regional	4 324 696	4 401 672	76 976	1.8
	Outer Regional	2 062 862	2 086 609	23 747	1.2
	Remote	324 060	326 643	2 583	0.8
	Very Remote	174 216	176 202	1 986	1.1
	Total	21 951 736	22 328 847	377 111	1.7
(a) See paragraphs 21 to 23 and paragraph 30 of the Explanatory Notes.
(b) Includes Other Territories.

POPULATION DENSITY

Population density varies greatly across Australia, ranging from very low in remote areas to very high in inner-city areas. Australia's population density at June 2010 was 2.9 people per square kilometre (sq km). Among the states and territories, the Australian Capital Territory had the highest population density at 152.5 people per sq km, followed by Victoria with 24.4, New South Wales with 9.0 and Tasmania with 7.5. The remaining states and territories all had population densities below the Australian figure, with the Northern Territory having the lowest at just 0.2 people per sq km.

Population density at June 2010 was highest in capital city SDs, particularly in Sydney SD. Six of the top ten most densely-populated SLAs were in Sydney SD, including Sydney (C) - East, which had the highest population density in Australia (8,800 people per sq km), the neighbouring Sydney (C) - West (7,900) and Waverley (A) (7,500), which contains the eastern beach-side suburbs of Bondi and Bronte. Within Melbourne SD, the SLAs with the greatest population densities were Melbourne (C) - Inner (8,000 people per sq km) and nearby Port Phillip (C) - St Kilda (6,400). In Brisbane SD, New Farm (5,900) and Kangaroo Point (5,600) had the highest population densities.

At the other end of the scale, there were over 240 SLAs in Australia which had population densities of less than one person per sq km at June 2010, almost one-third of which were located in Western Australia.

Between June 2009 and June 2010, the SLA which recorded the largest increase in population density was Franklin in the Australian Capital Territory (an extra 380 people per sq km), a relatively newly developed area. This was followed by Melbourne (C) - Inner (an extra 270 people per sq km) and Melbourne (C) - Southbank - Docklands (up 220 people per sq km), both inner-city areas.

CENTRE OF POPULATION

The centre of population is one way in which the spatial distribution of Australia's population can be described. This point marks the average latitude and longitude around which the population is distributed.

Australia's centre of population at June 2010 was approximately 47 kilometres east of the small service town of Ivanhoe, in the western New South Wales LGA of Central Darling (A). The centre of population moved approximately 11.5 kilometres north-west in the five years from June 2005 to June 2010. This shift reflects strong population growth in northern New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.

ESTIMATED RESIDENT POPULATION, States and Territories - Capital City and Balance of State/Territory
		ERP at 30 June		Change
		2009r	2010p	2009r-10p
Part of S/T		no.	no.	no.	%
NSW
	Sydney SD	4 499 888	4 575 532	75 644	1.7
	Balance of state	2 627 280	2 657 057	29 777	1.1
	Total	7 127 168	7 232 589	105 421	1.5
Vic.
	Melbourne SD	3 998 022	4 077 036	79 014	2.0
	Balance of state	1 448 590	1 468 896	20 306	1.4
	Total	5 446 612	5 545 932	99 320	1.8
Qld
	Brisbane SD	2 004 225	2 043 185	38 960	1.9
	Balance of state	2 420 542	2 470 665	50 123	2.1
	Total	4 424 767	4 513 850	89 083	2.0
SA
	Adelaide SD	1 188 139	1 203 186	15 047	1.3
	Balance of state	436 373	441 396	5 023	1.2
	Total	1 624 512	1 644 582	20 070	1.2
WA
	Perth SD	1 658 520	1 696 065	37 545	2.3
	Balance of state	585 916	597 445	11 529	2.0
	Total	2 244 436	2 293 510	49 074	2.2
Tas.
	Hobart SD	212 019	214 705	2 686	1.3
	Balance of state	291 273	292 938	1 665	0.6
	Total	503 292	507 643	4 351	0.9
NT
	Darwin SD	124 909	127 532	2 623	2.1
	Balance of territory	101 298	102 179	881	0.9
	Total	226 207	229 711	3 504	1.5
ACT
	Canberra SD	351 964	358 222	6 258	1.8
	Balance of territory	321	349	28	8.7
	Total	352 285	358 571	6 286	1.8
Other Territories		2 457	2 459	2	0.1
Australia
	Capital City	14 037 686	14 295 463	257 777	1.8
	Balance of Australia(a)	7 914 050	8 033 384	119 334	1.5
	Total	21 951 736	22 328 847	377 111	1.7
(a) Includes Other Territories.

LGAs WITH LARGEST POPULATION CHANGES IN 2009-10
		ERP at 30 June		Change
		2009r	2010p	2009r-10p
National rank & LGA(a)	Part of S/T	no.	no.	no.	%
LARGEST INCREASES
1 Brisbane (C)	Brisbane	1 052 438	1 067 279	14 841	1.4
2 Gold Coast (C)	Qld Bal	514 885	527 828	12 943	2.5
3 Wyndham (C)	Melbourne	143 969	156 573	12 604	8.8
4 Moreton Bay (R)	Brisbane	371 155	382 280	11 125	3.0
5 Whittlesea (C)	Melbourne	146 223	155 113	8 890	6.1
6 Blacktown (C)	Sydney	299 492	307 816	8 324	2.8
7 Casey (C)	Melbourne	247 511	255 659	8 148	3.3
8 Sunshine Coast (R)	Qld Bal	323 419	330 934	7 515	2.3
9 Melton (S)	Melbourne	100 062	107 150	7 088	7.1
10 Wanneroo (C)	Perth	144 107	150 106	5 999	4.2
11 Ipswich (C)	Brisbane	162 381	168 131	5 750	3.5
12 Logan (C)	Brisbane	277 560	282 673	5 113	1.8
13 Parramatta (C)	Sydney	167 261	172 333	5 072	3.0
14 Cardinia (S)	Melbourne	68 684	73 318	4 634	6.7
15 Sydney (C)	Sydney	177 738	182 226	4 488	2.5
16 Hume (C)	Melbourne	167 644	171 996	4 352	2.6
17 Townsville (C)	Qld Bal	181 740	185 768	4 028	2.2
18 Rockingham (C)	Perth	100 203	104 130	3 927	3.9
19 Cairns (R)	Qld Bal	164 354	168 251	3 897	2.4
20 Greater Geelong (C)	Vic. Bal	216 465	220 068	3 603	1.7
21 The Hills Shire (A)	Sydney	176 308	179 716	3 408	1.9
22 Liverpool (C)	Sydney	182 076	185 481	3 405	1.9
23 Melbourne (C)	Melbourne	93 163	96 552	3 389	3.6
24 Brimbank (C)	Melbourne	186 006	189 386	3 380	1.8
25 Stirling (C)	Perth	198 746	202 014	3 268	1.6
LARGEST DECLINES
1 Broken Hill (C)	NSW Bal	19 940	19 818	-122	-0.6
2 Yarriambiack (S)	Vic. Bal	7 686	7 614	-72	-0.9
3 Hindmarsh (S)	Vic. Bal	6 206	6 150	-56	-0.9
4 Gannawarra (S)	Vic. Bal	11 672	11 617	-55	-0.5
5 Buloke (S)	Vic. Bal	7 082	7 028	-54	-0.8
6 Deniliquin (A)	NSW Bal	7 685	7 633	-52	-0.7
7 Ravensthorpe (S)	WA Bal	2 401	2 349	-52	-2.2
8 Dundas (S)	WA Bal	1 204	1 159	-45	-3.7
9 Narrogin (S)	WA Bal	909	865	-44	-4.8
10 Southern Grampians (S)	Vic. Bal	17 574	17 531	-43	-0.2
11 Loddon (S)	Vic. Bal	8 084	8 047	-37	-0.5
12 Circular Head (M)	Tas. Bal	8 300	8 263	-37	-0.4
13 Wakool (A)	NSW Bal	4 422	4 389	-33	-0.7
14 Mount Marshall (S)	WA Bal	686	653	-33	-4.8
15 Lake Grace (S)	WA Bal	1 482	1 450	-32	-2.2
16 Northern Grampians (S)	Vic. Bal	12 347	12 316	-31	-0.3
17 Moora (S)	WA Bal	2 574	2 543	-31	-1.2
18 Three Springs (S)	WA Bal	732	704	-28	-3.8
19 Northern Areas (DC)	SA Bal	4 869	4 843	-26	-0.5
20 Broomehill-Tambellup (S)	WA Bal	1 282	1 256	-26	-2.0
21 West Wimmera (S)	Vic. Bal	4 616	4 591	-25	-0.5
22 Brookton (S)	WA Bal	1 031	1 006	-25	-2.4
23 Mount Magnet (S)	WA Bal	664	639	-25	-3.8
24 Cue (S)	WA Bal	302	278	-24	-7.9
25 The Coorong (DC)	SA Bal	5 828	5 805	-23	-0.4
(a) National rank based on numerical change in population between June 2009 and June 2010. See paragraphs 18 and 19 of the Explanatory Notes.

LGAs WITH FASTEST POPULATION CHANGES IN 2009-10
		ERP at 30 June		Change
		2009r	2010p	2009r-10p
National rank & LGA(a)	Part of S/T	no.	no.	no.	%
FASTEST INCREASES
1 Wyndham (C)	Melbourne	143 969	156 573	12 604	8.8
2 Melton (S)	Melbourne	100 062	107 150	7 088	7.1
3 Cardinia (S)	Melbourne	68 684	73 318	4 634	6.7
4 Whittlesea (C)	Melbourne	146 223	155 113	8 890	6.1
5 Capel (S)	WA Bal	12 684	13 370	686	5.4
6 Perth (C)	Perth	17 089	17 955	866	5.1
7 Armadale (C)	Perth	58 136	60 983	2 847	4.9
8 Chittering (S)	WA Bal	4 309	4 519	210	4.9
9 Northern Peninsula Area (R)	Qld Bal	2 282	2 389	107	4.7
10 Bass Coast (S)	Vic. Bal	29 603	30 974	1 371	4.6
11 Serpentine-Jarrahdale (S)	Perth	16 487	17 212	725	4.4
12 Murray (S)	WA Bal	14 759	15 401	642	4.3
13 Somerset (R)	Qld Bal	21 608	22 519	911	4.2
15 Latrobe (M)	Tas. Bal	9 616	10 020	404	4.2
14 Wanneroo (C)	Perth	144 107	150 106	5 999	4.2
16 Busselton (S)	WA Bal	30 505	31 767	1 262	4.1
17 Port Hedland (T)	WA Bal	14 068	14 624	556	4.0
18 Rockingham (C)	Perth	100 203	104 130	3 927	3.9
19 Baw Baw (S)	Vic. Bal	41 351	42 921	1 570	3.8
20 Canada Bay (A)	Sydney	75 922	78 735	2 813	3.7
21 Melbourne (C)	Melbourne	93 163	96 552	3 389	3.6
22 Yarrabah (S)	Qld Bal	2 628	2 722	94	3.6
23 Kwinana (T)	Perth	28 036	29 029	993	3.5
24 Ipswich (C)	Brisbane	162 381	168 131	5 750	3.5
25 Brighton (M)	Greater Hobart	15 807	16 358	551	3.5
FASTEST DECLINES
1 Ravensthorpe (S)	WA Bal	2 401	2 349	-52	-2.2
2 Moora (S)	WA Bal	2 574	2 543	-31	-1.2
3 Yarriambiack (S)	Vic. Bal	7 686	7 614	-72	-0.9
4 Hindmarsh (S)	Vic. Bal	6 206	6 150	-56	-0.9
5 Southern Mallee (DC)	SA Bal	2 190	2 172	-18	-0.8
6 Buloke (S)	Vic. Bal	7 082	7 028	-54	-0.8
7 Wakool (A)	NSW Bal	4 422	4 389	-33	-0.7
8 Deniliquin (A)	NSW Bal	7 685	7 633	-52	-0.7
9 Broken Hill (C)	NSW Bal	19 940	19 818	-122	-0.6
10 West Wimmera (S)	Vic. Bal	4 616	4 591	-25	-0.5
11 Hay (A)	NSW Bal	3 367	3 349	-18	-0.5
12 Northern Areas (DC)	SA Bal	4 869	4 843	-26	-0.5
13 Gannawarra (S)	Vic. Bal	11 672	11 617	-55	-0.5
14 Loddon (S)	Vic. Bal	8 084	8 047	-37	-0.5
15 Circular Head (M)	Tas. Bal	8 300	8 263	-37	-0.4
16 The Coorong (DC)	SA Bal	5 828	5 805	-23	-0.4
17 Lachlan (A)	NSW Bal	6 865	6 844	-21	-0.3
18 Dorset (M)	Tas. Bal	7 377	7 355	-22	-0.3
19 Northern Grampians (S)	Vic. Bal	12 347	12 316	-31	-0.3
20 Southern Grampians (S)	Vic. Bal	17 574	17 531	-43	-0.2
21 Carrathool (A)	NSW Bal	2 961	2 954	-7	-0.2
22 Wellington (A)	NSW Bal	8 895	8 875	-20	-0.2
23 Roxby Downs (M)	SA Bal	4 487	4 478	-9	-0.2
24 Queenscliffe (B)	Vic. Bal	3 320	3 314	-6	-0.2
25 Waratah/Wynyard (M)	Tas. Bal	14 117	14 096	-21	-0.1
(a) National rank based on percentage change in population between June 2009 and June 2010, excluding LGAs with a population of less than 2,000 at June 2009. See paragraphs 18 and 19 of the Explanatory Notes.