Population decline in the nation's regional areas could be stopped if communities could welcome an extra 3000 migrants a year, according to a regional think-tank, which is taking its pitch for changes to federal parliament.
The Regional Australia Institute has released a paper on Tuesday warning that in more than 150 regional local government areas across the country the number of Australian-born residents is decreasing.
That population loss has led to labour shortages in many areas, with the institute arguing there is currently no systematic way for migrant workers to link up with rural employers.
While there have been successful regional migration projects scattered across Australia, with some small towns increasing their population by 15 per cent, they are being carried out in isolation.
"Now we need to connect the dots and help other rural towns capitalise on the opportunities migrant settlement programs can deliver," the institute's chief executive Jack Archer said.
It uses the example of Pyramid Hill in Victoria, which has a population of 550 people with about 100 Filipino.
For the first time in years, new homes are being built, schools have grown and there is even a Filipino grocery store.
The institute wants the government to develop a new way to work out priority labour shortages in regional areas and to offer incentives for migrants to move to those locations.
"We have a national opportunity here to alleviate some of the biggest issues affecting regional Australia," Mr Archer said.
The institute will launch the paper at an event in Canberra with Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and Labor's agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon.
