Annual migration figures to land as debate rages
Immigration’s contribution to Australia’s population growth will emerge as political parties agree with each other on how many people should come and reach consensus on diversity fights.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics will release figures on migration levels for the 12 months to June as part of its annual population data on Thursday.
The Liberals and One Nation have attacked Labor for underestimating net overseas migration in recent years, with the government revising its forecasts upwards to 55,000 people in May’s federal budget.
After predicting an inflow of 240,000, they believe only 300,000 foreigners brought home Australia last year.
This is nearly identical to the figure of 306,000 in 2024/25 and well below the buffer years of 2022 and 2023, when the post-pandemic boom caused net arrivals to rise to a record 538,000.
In her career-first speech to the National Press Club, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson claimed that an obsession with multiculturalism and incursions from abroad had led to a national crisis.
“Do Australians feel that the nation has lost its identity along with the nation’s values? We all know the answer to that,” he said on Wednesday.
“Under the failed policy of multiculturalism, all cultures are allowed to become equivalent to ours. Of course, opposing this is not racism, but common sense.”
His party supports a visa cap of 130,000, well below the government’s long-term forecast of 225,000 annual arrivals.
According to opposition leader Angus Taylor, the coalition has proposed tying immigration policy to the completion of homes; This could reduce immigration by at least 70 percent.
The number of Australians who agree that it is good for society to be diverse has fallen from 85 per cent to 75 per cent, according to separate data from the Bureau of Statistics in May.
Anthea Hancocks, chief executive of the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute, which studies social cohesion, said the decline was worrying but diversity still had strong social support.
“It seems like a lot,” he told AAP, referring to the bureau’s findings.
“(Social cohesion) has actually taken a bit of a hit recently… and it’s still very high.
“We’re in a pretty strong mid-range in Australia, so you still have 75 per cent.”
Blaming immigrants for economic hardship and radicalism also distracts from a much-needed discussion about how the system can be improved, he said.
“When it comes to immigration, it deserves a truly non-partisan approach,” Ms Hancocks said.
“There are actually things we need to work on, and changes to those need to happen on an ongoing basis… This is an incredibly important part of Australia’s prosperity.”
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