South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill was quick to celebrate Adelaide’s “number one” ranking on Facebook.
by Paul Bidmeade
Adelaide may be gaining worldwide acclaim as one of the most liveable cities in the world, but Western Australia still continues to record the fastest growth rate of all states and territories at 2.1 per cent.
Last month Adelaide was ranked as the number one place to live in the world by the UK ‘Sunday Times’ newspaper.The list may have been in alphabetical order but a win is a win.
The glowing review gushed over Adelaide’s “pretty cricket ground” and “starriest night skies.”
However in terms of population growth, the stars are yet to align for South Australia. SA has a current growth rate of 0.9 per cent.
In a report released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on March 30, Perth is on track to become the fourth capital city to hit two million people.
Phil Browning from the ABS said this was a significant milestone, given just 30 years ago Perth’s population lagged behind that of Adelaide. “In 1983, Adelaide just beat Perth to the one million mark.” said Mr Browning “however, since that time, Perth’s population has more than doubled, whereas Adelaide has grown by less than one third.”
Driven by the WA mining boom, Perth lays claims to having the fastest growing capital in the past 10 years, while Adelaide’s economy has stagnated.
Given their sizes, both cities offer idyllic lifestyles but perhaps Perth is better at selling themselves.
