Measuring the changing face of Global Sydney

A Global Sydney

Globalisation has brought society more closely together

than could possibly be imagined before. Social,

economic, political, and cultural changes have been

widespread in Australia and abroad, while

communications and other technological advances

have made it easier to contact family and friends or do

business anywhere in the world.

A key trend of globalisation has been the growing

concentration of people, business, and political power

in a small number of “global cities”, such as New York,

London, and Paris. Sydney is Australia’s foremost

global city – acting as a gateway to Australia, a base for

many Trans-National Corporations (TNCs), and the

nation’s largest city by population and economy. These

features have increasingly seen the Sydney region

become a base for major business transactions and

social interaction, attracting people from all over the

world to live, work, and exchange knowledge and ideas.

Contents

Global Migration Index P.1

Key findings P.2

Trends P.5

Future releases P.8

Using Sydney as a first project, researchers from the

ANZSOG Institute for Governance at the University of

Canberra, and the Commonwealth Department of

Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), are embarking on a

range of efforts to explain the complex links between

Global Cities. One of these is the creation of a Global

Migration Index, or GMI, for Sydney.

The GMI results are based on Census data from 2001 and

2011 to show changes in the multicultural make-up of

urban areas. This has been done by comparing the 43

local councils across the Sydney region, from Wyong and

Gosford in the north, west to the Blue Mountains, and

south to Wollondilly, Campbelltown, and Sutherland.

Global Migration Index

How the GMI is measured

The GMI is a weighted index that considers four key

factors:

1) Percentage of foreign born population;

2) Total foreign born population;

3) Percentage of population born in non-English

speaking countries; and

4) Whether any one ethnic or national group makes up

more than 25% of the foreign born population.

Globalisation and Cities Research Program

ANZSOG Institute for Governance at the University of Canberra

December 2012

GMI findings: Who won? Who grew?

Fairfield was the highest ranking local council for both

2001 and 2011.

Councils across Sydney’s west were the highest

performers: Blacktown, Auburn, Canterbury and

Parramatta made up the rest of the top five councils for

2011.

The lowest-ranking councils were on Sydney’s urban

fringe. Wollondilly ranked the lowest in both 2001 and

2011. Hawkesbury, Wyong, Camden and the Blue

Mountains made up the rest of the bottom five.

Driving distance to the centre of Sydney, and access to

passenger train services, have significant impacts on

councils’ GMI scores.

Blacktown recorded the highest change in GMI between

2001 and 2011, rising from 0.88 to 1.48.

The Sydney region’s main business centres also

recorded a much higher GMI in 2011 than 2001. City of

Sydney, Parramatta, and North Sydney were among the

top five councils in terms of their increase in GMI to 2011.

Other large increases in GMI occurred in Sydney’s north-

west, in areas such as The Hills and Ryde.

Marrickville and Botany Bay had the largest declines in

GMI.

Most councils bordering the City of Sydney, and the

region’s urban-rural western fringe, recorded lower GMIs

in 2011 than 2001.

Fairfield recorded a lower GMI in 2011 than 2001,

despite ranking first in the Sydney region in both years.

2

2011 rank

Council name

GMI 2001

GMI 2011

1 Fairfield 1.90 1.73

2 Blacktown 0.88 1.48

3 Auburn 1.20 1.37

4 Canterbury 1.46 1.32

5 Parramatta 0.69 1.26

6 Liverpool 0.87 1.01

7 Bankstown 0.73 0.87

8 Sydney 0.27 0.85

9 Strathfield 0.74 0.84

10 Rockdale 0.62 0.73

11 Holroyd 0.36 0.73

12 Ryde 0.33 0.66

13 Randwick 0.44 0.51

14 Hornsby 0.15 0.50

15 Burwood 0.67 0.49

16 Willoughby 0.18 0.40

17 Ashfield 0.48 0.39

18 The Hills -0.02 0.37

19 Botany Bay 0.48 0.26

20 Hurstville 0.16 0.22

21 Ku-ring-gai 0.02 0.21

22 Canada Bay -0.16 0.11

23 Kogarah 0.05 0.04

24 Waverley 0.14 0.03

25 Marrickville 0.41 0.00

26 North Sydney -0.43 -0.03

27 Campbelltown -0.18 -0.04

28 Lane Cove -0.41 -0.33

29 Woollahra -0.25 -0.34

30 Warringah -0.54 -0.44

31 Penrith -0.69 -0.45

32 Manly -0.85 -0.69

33 Hunters Hill -0.70 -0.72

34 Mosman -0.79 -0.75

35 Leichhardt -0.76 -0.80

36 Sutherland -0.93 -0.93

37 Pittwater -1.11 -1.10

38 Gosford -1.28 -1.19

39 Blue Mountains -1.28 -1.36

40 Camden -1.40 -1.40

41 Wyong -1.47 -1.45

42 Hawkesbury -1.52 -1.57

43 Wollondilly -1.55 -1.61

Table 1: GMI in 2001 and 2011

Picture: Hannah Wooden

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Trends of GMI indicators

Percentage of foreign born population

Areas in Sydney’s inner west and south west had the highest percentages of foreign-born population.

Auburn topped the list in 2011 with 55.92 per cent. Fairfield, Strathfield and Burwood were also above

50%.

Councils on Sydney’s urban fringe recorded the lowest percentages. Wyong had the lowest result in both

2001 and 2011, at around 12%. Wollondilly, Hawkesbury, Camden and Gosford were all below 16% in

2011.

Parramatta and Hurstville had the largest increases, with their proportions of foreign-born residents rising

by more than seven per cent. The largest decreases were in Marrickville (4.6%) and Botany Bay (1.3%).

Figure 3: Percentage of foreign-born population in the Sydney region, 2001 and 2011

Total number of foreign born population

Blacktown had the largest number of foreign born residents in 2011, at 112,879. Other top ranking coun-

cils in 2011 were mostly in Sydney’s south west.

Hunters Hill (geographically the smallest council in Sydney) had the smallest number of foreign born

residents in both 2011 and 2001. Other low ranking councils were from Sydney’s urban-rural fringe or the

north shore. These included Wollondilly, Hawkesbury, Mosman, Camden, and Lane Cove.

The largest increase in foreign born population between 2001 and 2011 was in Blacktown (up by 30,631),

followed by the major business centres of the City of Sydney and Parramatta. Foreign born populations

fell in Marrickville, the Blue Mountains, and Hawkesbury.

5

Figure 4: Foreign-born population in the Sydney region, 2001 and 2011

Percentage of population from non-English speaking countries

In this Index, English-speaking countries refer to Australia, the UK and Ireland, New Zealand, the USA,

and Canada.

In 2011, Auburn had the highest proportion of residents born in non-English speaking nations, with 53.5%.

This included sizable populations (more than 1,000 people) from China, India, South Korea, Lebanon, Sri

Lanka, Turkey, and The Philippines. Other councils in Sydney’s west and south west, including Fairfield

and Strathfield, also ranked highly in this category. Outlying areas including Wyong, Wollondilly, and

Hawkesbury had the lowest concentrations of people from non-English speaking countries (all below 6%

of their total populations).

Parramatta and Hurstville had the largest increases in non-English speaking populations, jumping by more

than eight per cent. Marrickville, Botany Bay, and Waverley had the largest decreases.

Figure 5: Percentage of population from non-English speaking countries in the Sydney region, 2001 and 2011

6

7

Presence of a dominant ethnic group

Areas where more than 25% of the foreign-born population are from one nation, are considered in the

GMI as having a dominant ethnic group. Most councils across the Sydney region had no one nationality

making up more than 25% of their foreign born populations.

People from the United Kingdom were the most likely to comprise more than a quarter of a council’s

foreign-born population. In 2011 this occurred in 12 councils, mostly on Sydney’s urban fringe, the Central

Coast, and the north shore. The Blue Mountains had the highest proportion, with 43.5% of its foreign-born

residents from the UK.

Chinese populations in Burwood, Hurstville and Kogarah more than doubled between 2001 and 2011.

This also took their proportions in these three councils’ foreign-born populations above 25%.

Fairfield had a significant and stable proportion of residents born in Vietnam, making up 26% of the area’s

foreign born population in 2001 and almost 28% in 2011. Fairfield also has Sydney’s largest numbers of

residents born in Cambodia, Thailand, and Iraq.

Figure 6: Areas where more than 25% of the foreign-born population are from the one nation, 2011

The Global Migration Index is part of a research cluster investigating Global

Cities and Migration. Future releases to come include:

Global Competitiveness Index

The Global Competitiveness Index (or GCI) will compare the population,

employment, and economic growth in knowledge-intensive sectors, of council

areas across the Sydney region. When combined with the Global Migration

Index, it will determine how competitive Sydney is at attracting talented

workers and residents from other parts of Australia and the world.

Living and working in Global Sydney

A large-scale survey is being carried out to determine factors attracting people

to live and work in the Sydney region. The survey will also show the many

work, family, and socio-cultural links people have within and beyond Sydney,

to provide in-depth accounts of globalisation and urbanisation.

Connecting Australia with Asia

This involves using passenger flight data to map people movement and

Australia’s increasing engagement with Asia. Focusing on the Global Cities of

Sydney and Shanghai, we will be able to see patterns and trends of Australia’s

network with the world, through the flows of people movement.

About the Globalisation and Cities

Research Program

This program is investigating the social, economic, political, and cultural

changes of major cities in the context of globalisation. It aims to unravel the

complexities of globalisation and urbanisation, their contributory and resultant

factors, and their associated challenges for policy and planning. Key research

issues include global cities, urban competitiveness, urban planning and

governance, migration, and space of flows in cities.

This program is particularly interested in capturing the positioning of Australian

cities in a global urban network or hierarchy, and the way Australia integrates

with the world through its key urban centres. It attempts to uncover the

interrelationships between Australian cities and their counterparts in the Asia-

Pacific, the internal and external dynamics of such interrelationships, and the

resulting priorities for urban planning and policy. Understanding Australian

cities in this global context will inform strategies and decision-making at global,

national, regional, and local levels. It will also help effectively address

‘globalised’ challenges, such as competitiveness, innovation, migration,

sustainability, liveability, and social cohesion.

Globalisation and

Cities Research

Program

ANZSOG Institute for

Governance

Building 23, Level B

University Drive South

University of Canberra

ACT 2601

Convenor:

Dr Richard Hu, CPP AICP

T: (02) 6201 2051

F: (02) 6201 5608

E: richard.hu@canberra.edu.au

ANZSOG Participants:

Shaun Allen

Lucas Carmody

Michael Cusack

DIAC Participants:

Anita Davis

Richard Manderson

William McClure

Dan Payne

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Future releases