“New ABS data confirms Australians continue to be smashed by the federal government’s migration intake, in the face of overwhelming community concerns and a demand to get the nation’s migration system under control,” said Daniel Wild, Deputy Executive Director of the Institute of Public Affairs.
Today, the Australian Bureau of Statistics updated its National State and Territory Population database for the reference period September 2025, which shows:
- Net overseas migration for the September quarter of 2025 was 87,821. If this is replicated over the following three quarters, it will be the fourth consecutive financial year in which NOM exceeds 300,000.
- This is higher than the September quarter of 2024, which was 81,642.
- Net overseas migration accounted for 79 per cent of total population growth in the September 2025 quarter, with natural increase accounting for only 21 per cent.
- For context, the September 2025 quarterly intake was roughly 3.9 times the average quarterly intake between the Second World War and the end of the Howard government (1945-2007) and 54 per cent higher than the pre-pandemic period’s average (2008-2019).
“Despite claims that net migration is coming down, the intake is still massive by historical standards and the proportion of Australian residents born overseas will soon surge to more than a third of the population,” said Mr Wild.
“The federal government needs to come clean and tell the Australian public when the size of Australia’s migrant population will stabilise – if ever.”
The new data follows the release of landmark IPA research, which shows that a clear majority of the population (60 per cent) believes there are too many migrants in Australia, with 54 per cent no longer recognising the country they grew up in, and 79 per cent wanting an annual migration intake of fewer than 100,000.
“While governments continue to rely on migration as a lazy means of achieving headline economic growth, Australians understand that uncontrolled mass migration causes social division, sectarian strife, and makes mainstream Australians poorer.”
“Australians are a welcoming people but the preconditions for a sustainable migration program are that it is properly planned for, has the consent of the community, and is targeted towards areas of genuine economic need. The federal government’s approach is failing on all three counts.”
The full polling results can be found here.
