Fed: Australia grows bigger, older

AAP General News (Australia)
12-17-2004
Fed: Australia grows bigger, older

CANBERRA, Dec 17 AAP - More than 200,000 new Australians were born or arrived over
the past year, with Queenslanders and Western Australians leading the charge.

Between June 2003 and June 2004, the Australian population increased by 238,700 people
to 20,111,300, a 1.2 per cent increase on the year before, the Australian Bureau of Statistics
(ABS) said, adding this remained consistent with past years.

With an increase of 2.1 per cent, Queensland recorded the biggest population rise,
followed by Western Australia (1.7 per cent) and Victoria (1.2 per cent).

The ACT's population had the smallest rise, of 0.2 per cent.

Tasmania enjoyed a one per cent increase, while NSW and the Northern Territory's population
each rose by 0.7 per cent, and South Australia's by 0.5 per cent.

Confirming predictions that Australia's population would continue to age, the average
Australian was 36.4 years old, an increase of almost six years over the past two decades.

South Australian residents were the oldest, at an average of 38.5 years, followed by
Tasmanians at 38.4.

With an average age of 30.6 years, the Northern Territory had the youngest population
of all states and territories.

AAP kbw/sb/cdh/de

KEYWORD: POPULATION

2004 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.