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WHILE many other cities and States battle to attract new migrants, New South Wales Premier, Mr Bob Carr is also battling - to keep new arrivals our of the State capital, Sydney.
He has even announced a five-point plan to encourage immigrants to settle anywhere but in his capital city.
Under the plan, presented to federal Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock, Mr Carr wants skilled migrants to be offered incentives - such as migration eligibility points, tax breaks and rent assistance - if they settle in rural and 'regional areas of New South Wales.
The State Government plan calls for a database to list the skills that are in short supply in the bush.
And the federal Government will set up a working party to examine ways of enticing migrants to settle outside Sydney.
More than 40 per cent of new arrivals settle in Sydney, a trend the New South Wales Government claims will require 68 new hospitals, 237 new aged care facilities, more than 1400 new schools and up to 700,000 new homes to be built in Sydney within the next 50 years.
Mr Carr said his Government's new approach to immigration was taken after the federal Government announced in May that immigration would increase from 93,000 to 110,000 a year for the next three years - a 30 per cent jump on the 1997-98 intake.
"It's very hard to force, to prod migrants to go to a regional centre," Mr Carr said.
The only control you've got is the broad-brush control of the annual intake."
Mr Ruddock said his meeting with Mr Carr had been constructive, although the Premier had not raised the issue of lowering the overall migrant intake to the 1997-98 levels.
"Those matters (discussed) involve the implementation of measures that give incentives for those who will settle in some areas and also involve some disincentives for those who seek to come to Sydney," Mr Ruddock said.
"What we are also seeking is to get people looking at other parts of Australia as well, Particularly areas like the Northern Territory, Tasmania and South Australia."