Annual migration under Labor is on track to shoot over 400,000 for the second consecutive year and could even surpass 500,000 arrivals.
Labor will almost certainly fail to honour its commitment to halve migration, based on ABS population data published today:
• Under Labor, Net Overseas Migration (NOM) was 133,802 for the March 2024 quarter — the second highest March quarter ever reported by the ABS — beaten only by Labor’s record 165,500 arrivals in March 2023.
• 388,241 additional migrants arrived in the first nine months of Financial Year 23-24 under Labor.
• In comparison, when Labor broke the Australian migration record with 536,547 arrivals in FY22-23, NOM was 415,034 across the first nine months of that year — just 26,793 higher than Labor is currently tracking.
• For Labor to achieve its FY23-24 migration target of 395,000 arrivals in this year’s budget, NOM will have to be lower than 6,759 in the June quarter — a level so low it was only reported when the borders were closed during COVID.
Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Dan Tehan called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to explain why Labor was not honouring its commitment to halve migration.
“The Prime Minister needs to explain where all these people are going to live,” Mr Tehan said.
“Australians are experiencing a housing and rental crisis, but the Prime Minister seems to be unaware.
“Labor kept their plans for a Big Australia secret before the election, and Australians are living with the consequences.
“We have experienced record migration since Labor came to power, and housing supply isn’t close to keeping up. That drives up the cost of housing and rents, which further increases inflation as Australians endure cost-of-living pain.
“The Prime Minister’s broken promises to cut immigration, cut electricity bills and provide cheaper mortgages is making that pain worse.
“The Coalition will get the migration policy settings right to help free up more houses for Australians.
“Labor can’t be trusted to manage immigration, and they can’t be trusted on national security.”
Labor can’t be trusted to manage migration
On 9 December last year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “migration is expected to decline substantially over the coming financial year”.
On 10 April, 2024, then Labor Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said the Labor government would halve migration from its record high.
"When we get to the 1st of July this year, and I'm talking about in a few months time we will be back in a normal year of migration. We will have halved our migration rate as a country." O' Neil said an interview on Sunrise.
When asked if Labor would achieve its then NOM target of 375,000, O’Neil replied: “I mean, the numbers will come out but the indications are yes, that we will hit that target”.