Regional Population Decline In Australia

The book examines the extent to which the sustained population growth of Australia’s heartland regional centres has come at the expense of demographic decline in their own hinterlands, and, ultimately, of their entire regions. It presents a longitudinal study, over the period 1947-2011, of the extensive functional regions centred on six rapidly growing non-metropolitan cities in south-eastern Australia, emphasising rapid change since 1981. The selected cities are dominantly service centres in either inland or remote coastal agricultural settings. The book shows how intensified age-specific migration and structural ageing arising from macro-economic reforms in the 1980s fundamentally changed the economic and demographic landscapes of the case study regions. It traces the demographic consequences of the change from a relative balance between central city, minor urban centres and dispersed rural population within each functional region in 1947, to one of extreme central city dominance by 2011, and examines the long-term implications of these changes for regional policy. The book constitutes the first in-depth longitudinal study over the entire post-WWII period of a varied group of Australian regional cities and their hinterlands, defined in terms of functional regions. It employs a novel set of indices which combine numerical and visual expression to measure the structural ageing process.

This title was first published in 19/11/2001: This text addresses important questions about Australia's population size and distribution which are likely to dominate the country's politics in the 21st century. The book's approach to the population question begins with a broad analysis of Australia's wellbeing. A decline in the quality of life for many Australians, growing inequality and conflict suggest that Australia is overpopulated. Population size, however, does not explain Australia's problems. These are considered in the following chapters in the context of the shortcomings of Australia's democracy; the costs of maldevelopment in the distribution of the population; the mismanagement of resources; and the level of foreign ownership. The book then focuses on the changing external milieux and Australia's engagement with Asia. This analysis provides an understanding of building pressures for Australia to accept more migrants as well as the desirability for migration to promote Australia's integration with its Asian neighbours. In the last two chapters, the book examines the main domestic forces at work for a bigger or smaller population. It argues that Australia should be more generous and accept many more people than it presently does. Australia has room for many more people. Population distribution, however, is a critical issue in Australia's quest for a better future and population growth needs to be diverted away from the eastern seaboard and the main cities of Melbourne and Sydney to regional Australia. The book makes a case for population growth in coastal cities as part of northern Australia's regional development.

The distribution and re-distribution of people across the landscape has signi cant implications for ecological, economic and social dynamics. Movement of people to urban centres (mostly from rural landscapes, especially in the developing world) is a major global phenomenon. This can result in the de-population of rural landscapes. Conversely, population growth and a changing demographic pro le have been id- ti ed for particular rural landscapes with notable examples from North America, Europe and Australia. Yet we know little of the factors that drive demographic changes in rural landscapes and even less about the implications of these changes. This book examines broad and local-scale patterns of demographic change in rural landscapes, identi es some of the drivers of these changes using Australian case studies or comparisons between Australian and international contexts, and outlines the implications of changes for society and the environment. This book makes a valuable contribution to the literature because it adopts an integrated and interdisciplinary approach by explicitly linking demographic change with environmental, land-use, social and economic factors. This integrated approach was achieved by encouraging interaction among authors writing on similar topics to ensure coherency and complementarity among chapters, and cross-pollination of ideas and perspectives. Chapters are presented as interactive and re ective d- cussions that address the ndings of other contributors; yet, each chapter contains enough background to stand alone as a unique contribution.

This volume provides evidence from many of Australia’s leading scholars from a range of social science disciplines to support policies that address challenges presented by Australia’s ageing population. It builds on presentations made to the 2014 Symposium of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. The material is in four parts: Perspectives on AgeingPopulation Ageing: Global, regional and Australian perspectivesImproving Health and WellbeingResponses by Government and Families/Individuals ‘The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia sees this volume as a major contribution to improving our understanding of Australia’s population ageing. Social science research in this area truly underpins our ability as a nation to manage such demographic change, and its consequences for the economy and society. Such knowledge helps ensure that our citizens can live even better lives.’ — Glenn Withers, President, ASSA ‘It is fantastic that Australians are living longer and healthier lives but we need to address these demographic changes.’ — The Hon Joe Hockey MP, 2015 Intergenerational Report

In Australia, regions are not just geographic locations, they are also cultural ideas. Being regional means being located outside the nation’s capital cities and in the periphery of its centres of power and influence. Regional development in Australia is thus significantly different than its European or American counterparts. However, surprisingly little has been written about the unique dynamics of development in Australia's regions; this book has been written to fill this gap. In recent decades the Australian government has made repeated policy efforts to achieve sustainable development in its non-metropolitan areas. Over the same period, those who live and work outside the nation’s capital cities have come to identify as regional Australians. This book takes an anthropological approach to understanding the particularities of regional development in Australia. It draws upon rich, on-the-ground observations of towns, industries, universities, development organisations, and communities across different settings to provide an in-depth understanding of the subject. This book will be of interest to researchers and practitioners concerned with regional development and policy.