TASMAN MIGRATIONS

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31922, 25 February 1969, Page 18

TASMAN MIGRATIONS

AVCKLAXV, Feb. 24.

The Minister of Finance (Mr Muldoon) tonight predicted that Australians coming permanently to New Zealand this year would exceed New Zealanders moving to Australia.

He said that during the last year or so economic problems in New Zealand had resulted in an outflow of population from New Zealand to Australia.

“This occurred in similar circumstances in 1938-59 and if one goes back to the 1880 s and 1890 s the same phenomenon was seen.

“Labour has always been extremely mobile between Australia and New Zealand but the over-all statistics pay

a compliment to this country because the normal flow is from Australia to New Zea, land. Mr Muldoon said over-all New Zealand averaged in the five years up until 1968 a net inflow of permanent residents from Australia in excess of permanent departures to Australia of more than 3000 a year.

“I feel sure that this year with the resumption of a more normal rate of economic activity in New Zealand, the direction of the flow will again be reversed.” Mr Muldoon said it was worth laying to rest the fallacy that the population in Australia had been increasing far more rapidly than in New Zealand. This was not the case.

During the post-war period the annual rate of population increase had been similar amounting to a growth of 2.3 per cent a year in the case of Australia and 2.1 per cent in New Zealand.

What had put Australia slightly ahead of New Zea-

land was the heavy migration intake. On the other hand, New Zealand had been ahead of Australia in the natural rate of increase over the last 20 years; and while a decline had come about in both countries the birth rate in New Zealand at more than 22 per thousand a year compared with just over 19 per thousand in Australia.