There is a steady rise in the number of migrants choosing to settle permanently in Tasmania, according to figures in the Department of Immigration and Citizenship’s (DIAC) Settler Arrivals 2009-10 report.
A departmental spokesman said the number of migrants settling in Tasmania has slowly climbed in the past five years, from 879 people in 2005-06 to 1250 in 2009-10.
Tasmania was the state of choice for migrants from the United Kingdom and New Zealand. There were 129 settlers from the UK and 111 from New Zealand. On the national front, there were 140 610 settler arrivals in Australia in 2009-10, a decrease of 11 per cent from the previous year.
“The numbers of settler arrivals are now near the level they were in 2006-07,” a departmental spokesman said.
The figures show New Zealand and China are now the top two source countries by birth, with India, the United Kingdom and South Africa making up the remaining countries in the top five.
A departmental spokesman said the Australian Government was committed to a migration program which was targeted to help grow Australia’s economy and meet critical labour needs.
“The Australian Government has undertaken a series of strategic reforms of the skilled migration program, to make it more responsive to Australia’s labour market demands,” the spokesman said. “These reforms are about selecting the best and brightest people from a large pool of potential migrants.”
The government announced in the 2010-11 Budget a total of 168 700 places for migration, comprising a total skill stream of 113 850 places, a total family stream of 54 550 places and 300 special eligibility places.
“This will increase the proportion of skilled migrants to 67.5 per cent of the migration program to further address Australia’s needs as the economic climate improves while still ensuring places for family migration and reunion,” the spokesman said.