The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released visitor arrivals and departures data for the month of December, which posted record annual permanent and long-term arrivals, as well as the highest net arrivals in 4 1/2 years.
In the year to December 2018, there were 832,560 permanent and long-term arrivals into Australia – up 7% from December 2017 and an all-time high. This was partly offset by 541,310 permanent and long-term departures from Australia: