MEDIA RELEASE
September 24, 2008	Embargoed: 11.30 am (AEST)	95/2008

Australia's net overseas migration is at an all time high, according to figures released today from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

In the year ended March 2008, net overseas migration to Australia of just under 200,000 people accounted for over half (59%) of Australia's population increase.

The 430,000 overseas arrivals and 230,000 overseas departures represents an average of 1,180 overseas arrivals and 630 departures per day.
In March 2008 Australia's population reached 21,283,000 - an increase of 1.6% (336,800 people) from the previous year.

Natural increase (the excess of births over deaths) contributed 137,700 people (or 41%).

Western Australia recorded the fastest population growth at 2.6%, followed by Queensland and the Northern Territory at 2.2%. Victoria grew by 1.7%, the Australian Capital Territory 1.4%, South Australia and New South Wales 1.1% and Tasmania 0.9%.

Queensland and Western Australia continued to gain the most people from net interstate migration, gaining 24,300 and 4,000 people respectively from the other states and territories. The Northern Territory (850), Tasmania (520) and the Australian Capital Territory (190) also gained from the other states. The states that lost people to net interstate migration include New South Wales (down 23,300), South Australia (down 4,100) and Victoria (down 2,400).

As at 31 March 2008, the resident population for each state and territory was:

New South Wales 6,947,000;	Western Australia 2,149,000;
Victoria 5,274,000;	Tasmania 497,300;
Queensland 4,253,000;	Northern Territory 218,400;
South Australia 1,598,000;	Australian Capital Territory 342,700.

More details are available in Australian Demographic Statistics, March Quarter 2008 (cat. no. 3101.0), available for free download from the ABS web site <www.abs.gov.au>.