Report – Lisa Denny, 13 March 2024
Leaving Tasmania
Executive Summary
An increasing number of Tasmanians having been leaving for interstate every year since 2015. To the year ended June 2023, 15,222 people left Tasmania to live interstate, compared with 12,271 for 2013, an increase of 24 per cent over the decade.
While there have been several studies into why people move to Tasmania from interstate, there has been little investigation into the reasons why people leave to live elsewhere in Australia. New patterns of interstate migration for Tasmania are emerging and appear to divert from historic trends, warranting investigation of the underlying reasons contributing to these new patterns. This Leaving Tasmania study attempts to identify the factors that contribute to Tasmanians’ decisions to relocate elsewhere in Australia since 20171.
The study found that former Tasmanian residents report being ‘pushed’ out of the Sstate more so than ‘pulled’ to live elsewhere in Australia.
It is clear from the responses to the Leaving Tasmania survey that a lack of jobs which are secure, full-time and well paid are the key reasons underpinning people’s decisions to leave Tasmania. Ultimately, the pull of career progression opportunities for themselves, their partner or their children lure working-age Tasmanians to live elsewhere in Australia.
While the dominant push factor was lack of employment opportunities for respondents, other reasons ranged widely from lack of quality public services such as health, education and transport, housing affordability, parochialism and negative experiences.
Six main themes emerged from the analysis of the open-ended responses; employment and working conditions was the overwhelming reason for leaving Tasmania, along with family; quality of life including culture, social networks and the environment, education, including the university and its offerings; lack of public services; and governance and parochialism in the state. Many respondents also lamented they did not want to leave but had to out of necessity.
While many respondents report that they would like to return to Tasmania one day to live (45.7%), maybe (25.5%), others said they couldn’t (29.1%). For those who would like to move back, the reasons were very clear; nostalgia and a love of the place; the nature, environment, the people and because it’s ‘home’ as well as family and friend connections, but the decision to return is still very much dependent on opportunity and employment prospects for themselves or their partner, or retirement.
For those who may consider returning to Tasmania, the decision is very much conditional on change occurring in Tasmania – in terms of the quality of public services and amenities, the culture and cost of living. For many respondents, the sense of disillusionment with the place was strongly evident.
If these patterns of interstate migration departures continue, and working age couples and families relocate for more meaningful opportunities and rewarding life experiences elsewhere in Australia, then Tasmania’s population growth rate will slow further, and the population will age at a faster rate. As a result, it is likely, that Tasmania’s public services will continue to deteriorate. The risk is a snowballing effect.
The next Tasmanian Government needs to critically develop a population policy for the state.
1 The Leaving Tasmania survey attracted 127 valid responses from former residents of Tasmania.
Media release – Shane Broad, Shadow Treasurer, 13 March 2024
Surge in Tasmanians leaving the state after 10 years of Liberals
There has been a surge in Tasmanians leaving over the last 10 years in search of more meaningful opportunities and rewarding life experiences.
A new report from workforce demographer Dr Lisa Denny found that to the year ended June 2023, 15,222 people left Tasmania to live interstate, an increase of 24 per cent since 2013.
Her research cites a lack of jobs which are secure, full-time and well paid as the key reasons underpinning people’s decisions to leave Tasmania.
She warns that if these patterns of departures continue, Tasmania’s population growth rate will slow further and the population will age at a faster rate, resulting in increased pressure on public services.
After 10 years of Liberal Government, Tasmania is heading in the wrong direction, with a planeload of young people leaving the state every week.
If the Liberals haven’t fixed it in 10 years, we cannot risk giving them 14 years.
It’s time for the Liberals to go and for Tasmania to have a better future under a Rebecca White Labor Government.
