Brits give Vics the flick

31 December 2005

British migrants are shunning Melbourne and settling in cities with less cultural diversity, official figures show.

Despite the State Government embarking on a global campaign to recruit more migrants, Victoria is not attracting its fair share of arrivals from the Old Country.

In 2004 to 2005, 2877 British-born people settled in Victoria, according to the latest Immigration Department data. However, NSW attracted 3923 Britons, 4189 went to Queensland and more than 5000 settled in Western Australia. A quarter of all migrants go to Victoria, but the state lured just 16 per cent of British arrivals in Australia last year. Britain was Victoria's number 2 source for migrants in 1994 to 1995, but it is now fourth behind India, China and New Zealand.

Head of Monash University's Centre for Population and Urban Research, Bob Birrell, said the British generally had in-demand skills which gave them more flexibility in choosing where to live. Dr Birrell said Victoria was attracting a relatively low share of New Zealand and South African migrants, whose English proficiency made it easier to settle and find work than other arrivals.