Exodus from Australia confirmed

Press, 24 April 1984, Page 20

Exodus from Australia confirmed

NZPA staff correspondent Sydney The exodus of New Zealanders from Australia has been confirmed by the latest figures released by the Immigration Department.

The outflow of permanent or long-term stayers has been rising steadily and in both the June and September quarters of last year has been larger than the number of permanent or long-term arrivals. Coupled with the swelling return of short-term visitors and tourists, the September quarter of last year — the latest figures available — shows 4360 more New Zealanders went home than came the other way.

The figures are the first available for the 1983-84 July-June Australian financial year, and show 78,956 New Zealanders went to Australia for visits ranging from tourism to permanent, while 83,316 went home. But the best guide for what New Zealanders are doing is in the figures for permanent and long-term arrivals, and these show that in the September 1983

quarter there was a net loss of New Zealanders of 483, compared with a net gain of almost five times that figure in the same quarter of 1982.

Apart from a small hiccup in the March quarter of last year, there has been a consistent drop in the number of New Zealanders living in Australia. Immigration officials said that the migration pattern was now back to what it was in the early 1970 s before the rush by New Zealanders to get away from home began in 1976 and swelled to a peak in 1981 — the year Australia gained nearly 11,000 permanent New Zealanders.

The latest figures, which departmental officials said reflected the relative performances of the two economies, will take political pressure off the Australian Government to control the flow of New Zealanders across the Tasman.

With high unemployment in Australia, Australian unions have been complaining about the number oi New Zealanders in the country.