Nearly Three-Quarters of Australians Think the Country Does Not Need More Migrants

According to the latest migration statistics, the population grew by 659,800 people or 2.5 percent in the year to 30 September 2023.(AAP Image/Dean Lewins) NO ARCHIVING

Around three-quarters of Australians say the country does not need any more immigration.

That’s according to 3001 Australians who voted during the Voice Referendum and who took part in a survey by The Australian Population Research Institute (TAPRI).

According to the latest migration statistics, the population grew by 659,800 people or 2.5 percent in the year to Sept. 30, 2023.

Permanent migrants enter Australia through the Migration Program for skilled and family migrants or the Humanitarian Program for refugees.

Meanwhile, net overseas migration (NOM) accounted for 548,800 people, a figure that had grown from 518,000 in the year to June 2023. Forecasts for the year to June 2024, predict a further 375,000 people will have arrived, lifting the total across two years to 893,000.

Driven by factors like job security, immigration, natural population increase, and internal migration from rural areas to cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, rapid population growth has led to concerns about traffic congestion, housing affordability, and pressure on public services.

Critics of the overpopulation narrative argue that Australia’s issues are more about urban planning, infrastructure investment, and resource management rather than a simple matter of too many people. They suggest that with proper planning and investment, Australia could sustain a larger population without many of the current problems associated with overcrowding.

Just over 70 percent of the 3000 Australians surveyed by TAPRI say that Australia is too full, with one of the main reasons being the cost of living crisis that they claim is fuelled by immigration.

In contrast, 14 percent wanted to maintain the high numbers, while 13 percent had no opinion.  

The survey also assessed voters’ support for the government’s “progressive agenda,” which has resulted in a large number of migrants since the Albanese government took office in 2022.

The survey also assessed if voters felt increased financial insecurity and housing stress, and what influence these factors had on their voting intentions. The survey found a third of voters were young people who did not own a home and tended to vote either Labor or the Greens.

The survey found the Greens, relative to Labor, won a large number of votes from young people who found getting on financially to be “quite difficult” or “very difficult.”

Meanwhile, 49 percent of those surveyed want drastic cuts to immigration levels. 

Minister for Trade Dan Tehan said the government did not have "a plan to deal with the pressure caused by mass net overseas migration. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

“The fact that more voters wanted population stabilisation than wanted large cuts to immigration suggests that many people are unaware of the extent to which immigration is driving rapid population growth. If they understood the numbers, it’s likely they would favour bigger cuts to immigration.

“Voters opposed to high immigration thought it was contributing to congestion, deteriorating access to services, notably hospital services, and to higher costs of housing. The strongest concern was about the implications for the cost of housing. Most voters did not think population growth was vital for Australia’s future. They clearly rejected the Big Australia paradigm.”

In 2023, a review (pdf) of migration was ordered by the government, its findings were that the immigration system was “broken,” “inefficient” and “unfair,” a new strategy announced by Minister of Home Affairs Claire O'Neil proposes to slash the migrant intake to 375,000 people, roughly half of the current levels in the year to June followed by a further reduction to 250,000 in 2025.

In Parliament, the Opposition’s spokesman for immigration and citizenship Dan Tehan said the government did not have “a plan to deal with the pressure on housing, infrastructure, government services and the environment,” Mr. Tehan told News Corp.

“Unprecedented arrivals under the Albanese Labor Government are exacerbating housing shortages and driving up rents because of more competition.” Mr. Tehan added there was “no way” the reduced 250,000 target would be reached by 2025.

“Australians are rightly asking: where are all these people going to live?”

Ms. Goldie said it is inevitable the survey will become a political issue. “The link between high demand for housing and mass immigration cannot and will not be ignored by voters at the next federal election.

“The cost-of-living crisis may abate as inflation declines but the housing crisis will undoubtedly worsen. This is because the level of construction is unable to accelerate fast enough to match unprecedented growth in housing demand.”

New Zealand has also experienced an uptake in NOM, and last week Immigration Minister Erica Stanford announced the government was taking measures to slow net migration growth by cutting the maximum time a low-skilled foreign worker can remain in the country from five years to three, and tightening up on temporary work visas and introducing a minimum language and skills threshold.

Dan Tehan urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to follow New Zealand'lead in NOM reform.

“Labor should look to New Zealand to get some help to fix the mess they have created,” Mr. Tehan said.