Urban-rural migration in Australia: a process view of the turnaround; A process view of the population turnaround: an Australian rural case study (2 articles)
Hugo, G.J.; Smailes, P.J.
Journal of Rural Studies 1(1): 11-30; 31-43
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0743-0167 Document Number: 467885
The first paper summarizes the evidence for the existence of a trend toward population deconcentration in Australia at national and state levels. It seeks to relate processes of population dynamics identified at macro, meso and micro levels to several hypotheses which have been put forward to explain the turnaround. A preliminary explanatory model which links causal mechanisms operating at different levels of the spatial and urban hierarchy is outlined. The second paper then provides empirical evidence of local-level demographic and socioeconomic changes during the population turnaround decade of 1970-80. The study covers a contiguous area occupied by five small country towns and their trade areas, centred around 80-90 km north of Adelaide. These communities were surveyed in detail in 1968 and 1970 in order to make forecasts of demographic change by 1980. In 1980, a replicatory resurvey provided data on various processes of population change operating at grass roots level. A variety of individually small changes has produced a considerable aggregate improvement in the net migration balance.