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Household mobility in Australia

• This chapter presents statistics on Australian housing mobility, using a representative sample compiled from the Survey of Income and Housing (SIH).
• In the five years leading to 2007-08, 43% of Australia's population moved their place of residence. The most common reason for moving was wanting a bigger or better home (15%), followed closely by people purchasing their own homes (14%).
• People aged 25-34 were the most likely to move, and 75% reported one or more moves in the five year period. Conversely, people aged 65 years and over were the least likely to move, with only 17% reporting any movement in the five year period.
• The main reason for moving amongst people aged 25-34 was purchasing their own home (20%). Meanwhile, people aged 65 years and over were most likely to move due to a change in lifestyle (14%).
• People living in a group household were the most mobile with 90% having moved at least once in the five year period to 2007-08.
• In the five years up to 2007-08, 61% of unemployed people moved at least once, whereas 48% of employed and 33% of people not in the labour force reported a move.
• Overseas-born people tended to move more than Australia-born in the five years prior to 2007-08, with 48% of overseas-born having made at least one move in contrast with 41% of Australia-born. People born overseas had reasons for moving similar to those of people born in Australia. These included wanting a bigger or better home or purchasing their own homes.
• Of the people who had moved in the five years prior to this survey, 90% had moved within the same state or territory in their last move, 5% had moved from interstate and the other 5% had moved from overseas.
• In the five years to 2007-08, 8% of the population of the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory had moved from other states or territories in their last move. In contrast, only 2% of the population in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia had moved from interstate.