Regional has fastest growing LGAs
Six of the ten fastest-growing Local Government Areas in the country for 2010 to 2011 were in the outer suburban fringes of Melbourne and Perth.
This strong growth in regional areas contributed to a population increase in Australia's capital cities of 224,400 people, more than two-thirds of the growth in the Australian population.
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According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Melbourne had the largest increase, up by 66,900 people, followed by Sydney at 59,800 and Perth up by 42,800.
Overall though, population growth in Australian capital cities slowed. Apart from Perth, population growth in all capital cities was down.
Darwin slowed the most, down from 2.0 per cent growth in 2009-10 to just 0.5 per cent in 2010-11.
In New South Wales, the fastest growing areas during were Canada Bay 3.0 per cent, Camden 2.8 per cent and Parramatta at 2.5 per cent.
Nine of the ten fastest growing areas outside of Sydney were located in inland New South Wales, led by Maitland and Orange in the central west.
The preliminary 30 June 2011 Estimated Resident Population (ERP) contained in this release of Regional Population Growth will be the last regional estimates to be based on the 2006 Census of Population and Housing. Estimates for 30 June 2011, based on the 2011 Census, are due to be released on 31 July 2012.
