CANBERRA, Australia – A new life in Australia with Sydney Opera House or surfing at the city of Bondi Beach with the government.

Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population Alan Tudge said Tuesday that his government wants to cut the number of immigrants to Sydney and Melbourne in a bid to reduce congestion in Australia's two biggest cities.

Tudge said that it would be a good idea for them to stay in one of the cities for a long time.

"Tudge told Australian Broadcasting Corp."

Australia is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world, currently 25 million people – living in cities. Around two in every five Australians live in Sydney and Melbourne alone.

The government is considering banning immigrants from settling in Sydney and Melbourne in the country, The Australian newspaper reported.

If they were supposed to be deported, they would be punished. "We have not outlined all of the details just yet," he said.

Australia has the fastest growing population growth rate in Canada, growing 1.6 percent a year. But the population of Melbourne grew last year by 2.7 percent, the population of Brisbane and the Gold Coast grew 2.3 percent, and Sydney grew by 2.1 percent.

The main driver of population growth in Sydney and Melbourne was overseas migration, with 87 percent of skilled migrants to Australia and almost all refugees gravitating to those cities. Growth in the Brisbane-Gold Coast region reflects higher levels of population shift within Australia and a higher birthrate.

Tudge said some categories of immigrants would be exempt from geographic blocks. Migrants who were sponsored by employers would be able to work at a visa meeting, typically a foreigner in Australia, would also be free to live where they thing. Sponsored employees make up 25 percent of Australia's immigrant intake and family reunion visas make up 30 percent.

Marion Terrill, an expert on cities and transportation from the Melbourne-based Grattan Institute think tank, said governments need to improve infrastructure in major cities rather than curb population growth.

"People are voting with their feet, they want to be in the city and I think they can not do it. go, "Terrill said.

Melissa Montero, an immigrant advocate and chief executive of the Sydney-based Community Migrant Resource Center, said "immigrants need social support, language services and jobs to successfully resettle".

Carla Wilshire, another immigrant advocate and chief executive of the Migrant Council Australia in Canberra, suggests that government invest in services outside Sydney and Melbourne to make smaller towns more attractive to immigrants.

Mark Morey, secretary of the NSW Unions, said trade unions in New South Wales state, said the government's plan would leave immigrants, with fewer jobs than they could hope for.