This year I’ve published several blogs that look at the impact of COVID-19 on population change. These have considered the impact of travel restrictions on overseas migration, as this is the driver of population growth in Australia. However internal migration is an important driver of change within Australia. The ABS recently released provisional estimates of…
Articles by Simone Alexander
Simone Alexander is a demographic consultant with more than 20 years of experience working in both the public and private sectors. She uses her expertise to blog about demographic trends, housing and planning issues in Australia’s cities and regions.
Visit demogblog.blogspot.com
I’ve written a few blogs previously that describe the impacts of COVID-19 and border closures on population growth and change. The situation continues to evolve and the impacts differ by location. By far the most impactful measure implemented is the closure of the international border. This has effectively cut off the major source of population growth – net…
In the second half of 2018, the population of NSW reached 8 million – a milestone that was 230 years in the making. Population wise, NSW is Australia’s largest state, and it is also the state that was first settled by Europeans. The state capital, Sydney, is a global city which is one of the…
It’s often said that Australia builds some of the largest houses in the world. In the second half of the twentieth century the growth of suburbs dominated by separate houses on large blocks has contributed to urban sprawl. In many ways it’s ironic that although contemporary planning policies seek to address these issues eg through…
I don’t normally blog about the March and September quarter population data, but 2020 is different. The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and will continue to have, profound impacts on population change. For this reason, the release of the March quarter data by the ABS was highly anticipated due to the progressive restrictions on overseas arrivals…
In common with many western countries, Australia’s population is ageing. This is typically shown by increases in both the number and proportion of older people. But older people are not a homogenous group – they show a wide range of diversity with regard to their social and economic characteristics. This blog will use the latest population…
Working from home became de rigueur for many people in 2020. Travel restrictions and social distancing on account of a contagious virus meant that there was a large increase in the number of people setting up workplaces in their spare room on the kitchen bench. But not all jobs can be done from the comfort…
It’s hard to think of a time in the recent past when people have been so interested in geography. Coronavirus restrictions have changed that. Here in Melbourne, travel and administrative restrictions have reduced the size of our worlds to a 5km radius. Many people are querying the geographic definition of metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria….
What will the impact of COVID-19 be on population growth and change in Australia? In May I wrote this blog which argued that the biggest impact would be on the volume of net overseas migration (NOM), but the scale of the impact would depend on how long travel restrictions and the border closure were enforced….
Net overseas migration (NOM) is the primary driver of population growth in Australia. In 2018-19, NOM contributed to 62% of total population growth. The headline numbers catch the attention of the media and the general public, but overseas migrants are a diverse group of people. What are their characteristics? The recent release of the annual…