The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released new overseas arrivals and departures data that shows record migration to the country brought in a record 125,410 permanent and long-term arrivals in January 2024.
This comes after Australia’s net migration intake soared to a record high of 510,000 in the year to July 2023, double pre-pandemic levels.
Dan Tehan, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, has earlier told ABC’s Insiders that given the current housing and rental crisis Australia could not sustain the 1.6 million migrants forecast to enter the country over the next four years.
“When people can’t get in to see a doctor, when we’re seeing cuts in our infrastructure … that is too high. What we need is a proper plan when it comes to immigration and set out what that should look like … it’s a complete mess.”
ABS reports that in January 2024:
- Short-term visitor arrivals: 603,770 – an annual increase of 191,360 trips
- Short-term resident returns: 1,392,890 – an annual increase of 294,990 trips
- Total arrivals: 2,122,070 – an annual increase of 514,060
- Total departures: 1,745,840 – an annual increase of 368,990
Further, international student arrivals each month by visa type show:
- In January 2024 there were 82,890 international student arrivals to Australia, an increase of 23,660 students compared with the corresponding month of the previous year.
- The number of student arrivals in January 2024 was 8.1% lower than the pre-COVID levels in January 2019.
Analysis by the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) shows that planned migration has played a critical role in Australia’s history.
However, looking at the record numbers, Daniel Wild, Deputy Executive Director of the IPA, called it “unsustainable.”
“The government’s unplanned mass migration approach is setting Australia up for an economic and humanitarian disaster, and actively undermines Australians who are struggling with rapidly rising house prices and rental costs.”
Mr Wild added:
“In addition, for the first time in 40 years, per capita GDP has gone down for four consecutive quarters, leaving Australians, at an individual level, in a recession. While the overall size of the economic pie may be growing, it is leaving Australians with an even smaller slice.”
New Zealand (94,410 trips) was the largest source country, accounting for 16% of all visitor arrivals folowed by China (71,170 trips) and the USA (63,980 trips).
Dick Smith, the legendary Aussie businessman, speaking to The Daily Telegraph too slammed the latest migration figures.
“Every Australian family has a population plan to have the number of children they can give a good life to, but at the rate we are going it means the average Australian family will have less.”
According to the IPA analysis, if current trends continue, the net overseas migration intake could reach 660,000 for this year, which would be five-times higher than the long-term post-World War Two annual average intake of 126,000.
In December 2023, the Albanese government committed to ‘normalise’ Australia’s migration intake and a crackdown on dodgy colleges along with tighter rules around student visas.
The Centre for Population’s statement has projected that with net migration of 235,000 a year, Australia would reach a population of 39.2 million and under a “high migration scenario” of 470,000 a year, population would reach 49.3 million in 2060-61.
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