Melbourne: a parasite city?

Melbourne appears to be booming. Job growth is far more rapid than in Sydney. This article shows that Melbourne’s economy is being driven by population growth and that most job growth is in the city-building and people-servicing industries. The city’s apparent boom is obscuring its poor performance in exports to international markets. When export and imports are taken into account, the growth in per capita gross state product in Victoria is the slowest of all Australian states and territories since 2000–01. Melbourne is becoming increasingly dependent on external support. Copyright. Monash University and the author/s