More country communities should target international migrants as a "top priority" to help boost shrinking populations, a new study says.
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"The Missing Migrants" study cites case studies where small regional communities that opened their arms to migrants turned their fortunes around.
"If more international migrants settled in regional Australia, our regional population would grow at the same pace or even faster than the capital cities," the report said.
"International migrants make their most important contribution in small rural towns that are most at risk of population decline."
CEO of the Regional Australia Institute Jack Archer said 100 small rural Australian communities either grew, or maintained a stable population, thanks to the settlement of international migrants in recent years.
Nhill, in north west Victoria, grew after the town became home to about 160 Karen refugees since early 2010 and the Shire of Dalwallinu, in Western Australia, grew strongly after the district launched a regional repopulation project.
According to the report, by the Regional Australia Institute, the new residents came from countries including the Philippines, India, Burma and elsewhere.
"If more communities want to drive this they absolutely can," Mr Archer said.
"There's a great opportunity to get groups of migrants to join these places and fill some jobs, and increase the size of the economy and create some more jobs. And I think underneath that it busts all those old rubbish stereotypes about regional areas.
"The key message is that we need to make international migration a much higher priority for regional areas.
"Migrants can offer population stability and build diversity in these local communities as they are young, skilled and ambitious."
But Mr Archer expressed concern about the return of Queenslander Pauline Hanson to federal parliament, saying it could make it harder for regional areas to attract international migrants.
"I'm worried about the negative impact Pauline Hanson will have in Parliament, especially on regional areas," he said.
"Hanson's views on immigration could generate unnecessary fear at a critical time, when opportunity for growth is at our fingertips."
A review of Senate voting patterns in Victoria at the federal election showed that Pauline Hanson's One Nation won the most support in this state in the electorate of Murray. The seat includes the regional centre of Shepparton.
One Nation received more than 4200 Senate first preferences.
