Queensland has recently returned to the number one spot among states and territories in terms of net interstate migration flows, as noted in the ABS’s media release last month Queensland the most popular state for interstate movers. Queensland gained 24,000 additional people from interstate migration in the 12 months to 31 March 2018, compared with a net gain of 15,100 for Victoria, which was in number one position up until mid-2017, since when net interstate migration to Queensland has recovered strongly.

The improvement in net interstate migration to Queensland is largely due to an increase in arrivals to Queensland from NSW (see the array of charts below based on ABS estimates), which may have something to do with housing costs (until the current correction) having surged in NSW compared with Queensland, improving our relative housing affordability.

While, in net terms, Queensland gained around 15,100 people from NSW in the 12 months to 31 March, we gained only around 2,100 people from Victoria, around the same amount we gained from SA, and lower than the around 2,700 we gained from WA. That said, historically, Victoria has been a major contributor of interstate migrants to Queensland. And, as the charts below suggests, net interstate migration flows to Queensland from states and territories other than NSW and Victoria are typically small.  Note that net interstate migration is the difference between interstate arrivals to Queensland and interstate departures from Queensland, which were plotted in the first array of charts above.

Finally, I should note there is one state which, unlike all other states and territories, isn’t contributing people (in net terms) to Queensland: Tasmania. In the 12 months to 31 March, Queensland lost around 390 people to Tasmania, which I suspect is related to an increase in retirees moving there.