Kiwis packing bags, leaving Australia
KARLIS SALNA
AAP
December 10, 2009
It hardly seems fair. The Wallabies are struggling with a Kiwi at the helm, while the New Zealand cricket team looks destined for great things.
Our neighbours across the ditch have been the greatest beneficiaries of an exodus of Australians with almost one fifth of those who left permanently in 2008/09 choosing New Zealand as their new home.
And having had their share of the good times, New Zealanders topped the list of overseas-born people leaving Australia.
The release of the Emigration 2008/09 report comes in a year which was not so good for our rugby side, with New Zealand-born coach Robbie Deans guiding the Wallabies to only six wins and a draw from 14 Tests.
The figures from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship show 81,018 permanent residents left Australia over the past 12 months, more than any other year on record.
The number of people leaving Australia in 2008/09 was up 5.3 per cent on the previous year.
Great Britain and the United States were next on the list in terms of departures from Australia at 17 per cent and 9.3 per cent respectively, followed by Hong Kong (7.3 per cent) and Singapore (6.7 per cent).
The figures also show another more serious trend in that the majority of people leaving Australia on a permanent basis are young skilled workers.
Immigration Minister Chris Evans said the report reinforces the fact there is an increasing global demand for young, highly skilled people in the international labour market.
But Senator Evans said Australia, as part of the growing global labour market, must also look to boost its skilled workforce.
“The report also highlights the need for Australia to maintain a targeted skilled migration program to meet critical skills shortages in areas such as healthcare, engineering and information technology.”
Overall, Australia experienced a net gain of 77,003 people (arrivals minus permanent departures) in 2008-09.
