Immigration

While the focus of Australia’s political policymakers remains on issues largely external to the nation’s rental crisis, more and more data continues to emerge pointing to the impact of the failure of successive governments, which is worsening circumstances by the day.

Australia’s population ballooned by around 8.5 million (45%) over the first 25 years of this century, easily exceeding the population growth experienced by other advanced nations. Between Q1 2021 and Q1 2025, Australia’s population grew by an astonishing 1.88 million (7.9%)—equivalent to adding an Adelaide and Hobart to the nation’s population.

Over the past 20 years, Australian universities have evolved into revenue-driven corporations.

Teal independents continue to run interference for Big Australia mass immigration. In 2022, Zali Steggal, a Teal member from Warringah (which includes Sydney’s rich northern beaches), supported a large increase in immigration to combat labour shortages.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released the official population and immigration data for the March quarter of 2025.

As the debate over the right level of migration into the nation continues, I thought it would be interesting to look at some assessments of Australia’s migration system.

The Australian’s Judith Sloan last week attacked the “shoddy” economic arguments used by those who favour large immigration numbers and open-border policies. The canards identified by Sloan include the following: Recent high figures of net overseas migration (long-term arrivals minus long-term departures) are merely a catchup from the pause caused by Covid.

It is important to view Australia’s immigration policy in a historical context. In the first 60 years after World War 2, Australia’s net overseas migration (NOM) averaged 90,000 per annum, with only two years over that 60-year period recording a NOM of more than 150,000.

Shortly before Britain went to the polls for the 2010 General Election, then Opposition Leader David Cameron released the Conservative Party’s manifesto, pledging to cut net migration into the U.K.

Australia already had the highest concentration of international students in the world before the pandemic hit.

In February, on ABC’s Q&A, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that the government was cutting immigration and relieving pressure on the housing market by reducing international student numbers.

Recall that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told ABC’s Q&A in February that Labor would cut immigration and relieve pressure on the rental market by reducing the number of student visas, which he said were being “abused”.

A new report from the Australian National University has found that while the annual migrant intake is capped at 185,000, there are far fewer skilled migrants from overseas coming into Australia than intended.

The solution to Australia’s rental crisis is being played out in real time in Canada.

Frank Chung at News.com.au has published a startling report on the huge increase in migrants attempting to claim asylum.

Last week, the Albanese government announced that Australia’s permanent migrant intake would be maintained at the historically high level of 185,000.

The Australian Labor Party’s 2023 National Policy Platform included the aspiration to progressively increase the Humanitarian Program to 27,000 places per year.

Broadcaster Kel Richards has lamented the “tragic” death of the Australian backyard in a segment on Sky News.

On Sunday, I appeared on Freya Leach’s Sky News show, Freya Fires Up, to debate Kos Samaris on the merits of Australia’s migration system.

By Stephen Saunders The March for Australia demonstrates the necessity of pushing back the “you’re a racist” slur habitually deployed by the all-powerful minority—our mega-migration lobby.  It was like Goliath encountering a David with no slingshot. Yet the governing Big Australia minority went ballistic over the March for Australia (MfA).

This week, the Albanese government announced that the permanent migrant intake would remain at 185,000 places in 2025-26, with 132,200 places set aside for ‘skilled migrants’.

The left-leaning media have come out in force against the notion that Australia’s immigration intake remains too high.

The Albanese government has ignored the weekend’s protests and maintained Australia’s permanent migrant intake at the historically high level of 185,000.