Karratha and Newcastle our most appealing regional centres

A survey of 100 cities and towns based on their economy, environment, governance, mobility, liveability, and people has identified Karratha and Newcastle as the two regional centres with the most appeal for migrants.

Using the Australian Bureau of Statistics and other government data sources, and a form of statistical analysis known as analytical hierarch processing, researchers assigned each town or city with a “smart score” based on their economy, environment, governance, mobility, liveability, and people.

The Victoria University research sought to identify links between a city’s smart score and people’s preference to live there and thus help meet the challenges of developing regional centres.

Canberra led the list, followed by Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin, Perth, and Brisbane.

Karratha, in WA’s Pilbara region, and Newcastle both ranked higher than Adelaide and Hobart.