Australia floats ban on immigrants settling in fast-growing Sydney, Melbourne
Government says it plans to force migrants to live in smaller cities and regional areas to reduce congestion in Australia’s two biggest cities
Starting a new life in Australia might not come with views of the Sydney Opera House or surfing at Sydney’s Bondi Beach with the government considering a ban on some immigrants from settling in big cities.
Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population Alan Tudge said on Tuesday that his government wants to cut the number of immigrants moving to Sydney and Melbourne in a bid to reduce congestion in Australia’s two biggest cities.
Tudge said placing conditions on visas that force immigrants to stay in less popular centres for several years would increase the likelihood that they would settle in those places permanently.
“Nearly every visa has conditions attached to it, so it wouldn’t be unusual to have a geographic attachment to a particular visa,” Tudge told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Australia is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world, but has long had a high proportion of its population – currently 25 million people – living in cities. Around two in every five Australians live in Sydney and Melbourne alone.