Anthony Albanese’s pledge to halve immigration this budget year looks shaky, with the Labour Party facing accusations of breaking an election promise.
Just three months ago, the Prime Minister pledged to cut Australia’s net overseas inflows to just 250,000 by 2024-25.
This came after a record 547,300 foreigners moved to Australia in 2023, the highest number ever in a calendar year, when 27,000 New Zealanders moved to Australia.
The influx of immigrants into Australia is barely slowing down. Analysis shows that each Australian now earns more than $7,800 less per year, largely due to the housing crisis.
In the year to May, 482,450 migrants moved to Australia, raising questions about whether the Treasury in its May budget expected 260,000 migrants in that financial year.
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows the Labor Party is unlikely to deliver on its promise to halve immigration, according to Dr Kevin You, a senior fellow at the conservative think tank the Institute of Public Affairs.
“The latest ABS data confirms that the federal government is simply not interested in delivering on its promise to reduce Australia’s record migration surge, and will dramatically overspend its net immigration commitments,” he said.
‘The Prime Minister’s promise to halve the annual migration flow, made just two months ago, is not worth the paper it is written on. It is yet another broken promise from a government that is making it harder for average Australians to get ahead.’
Anthony Albanese’s promise to halve immigration this budget year looks shaky
A spokeswoman for Albanese said finance ministry figures showed immigration would fall, although new official figures for July would not be released until September.
The figures for 2024 will not be known until February.
Jordan Knight, founder of Migration Watch Australia, is campaigning for a two-year immigration freeze.
He pointed out that both major parties have promoted high immigration over the past two decades, making housing unaffordable for middle- and moderate-income workers.
“The Australian political class is manipulating young people by telling them the only way out is more government control and more migrants,” he said.
‘Wrong. The solution is simple: less immigration and a political class that puts Australians first, not last.’
The number of New Zealanders moving to Australia is now at its highest level since 2013, with a net gain of 27,000.
This came as more than 44,500 New Zealanders wanted to leave New Zealand as the country headed into recession, while 17,500 Australians wanted to go the other way.
Australia has also been struggling with a per capita recession for a year, which has caused output per Australian to fall.
The IPA calculated that every Australian lost $7,848 a year as immigration hit record highs after Australia reopened in 2021 after almost two years of closed borders due to Covid.
“Never before has GDP per capita declined for more than a year. Now the decline has been five quarters,” said Dr. You.
‘Today, Australians are individually in recession and falling further behind, while the country’s cost of living crisis is already acute.’
Just three months ago, the Prime Minister pledged to cut Australia’s net overseas inflow to just 250,000 by 2024-25 (pictured, Sydney commuters outside Town Hall).
Dr Kevin You, a senior fellow at the conservative think tank Institute of Public Affairs, said the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed Labor was unlikely to deliver on its promise to halve immigration.
Australia’s inflation rate of 4 percent in May was high compared to the rest of the world, with population pressure driving up rents by 7.4 percent annually.
In April, Albanese told Melbourne 3AW radio host Tim Elliott that his government planned to halve net overseas immigration after being given a certain amount to pay.
“Well, we’re not going to just pull a number out of thin air, but our prediction is that the NOM, the net migration abroad, will fall to 250,000 in the coming budget year 2024-2025,” he said.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton pledged in his May budget response speech to reduce the number of permanent candidates from 185,000 to 140,000.
But total net outward migration, made up of skilled migrants and international students, could still exceed 200,000, twice as many as in the late 1990s.
