“Out-of-control migration intakes, and housing shortfalls, are making it impossible for Australians to get ahead. New ABS data revealing another record-breaking migration intake, with net permanent and long-term arrivals in May 2025 higher than any other May month on record,” said Daniel Wild, Deputy Executive Director of the Institute of Public Affairs.
New Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Overseas Arrivals and Departures data for May 2025, released today, shows:
- Net permanent and long-term arrivals in May 2025 were 33,230, the highest May net arrival number on record, surpassing the previous record of 31,310 in 2023 by 6 per cent.
- Net permanent and long-term arrivals in the year-to-May of 2025 were 245,890 – also the highest on record.
- If current trends continue, annual net permanent and long-term arrivals from January this year could reach 598,000 by December 2025.
- Net permanent and long-term arrivals in the 12 months to May 2025 were 447,620 – the second highest on record, after the 12 months to May 2024 oversaw 482,450 net arrivals.
“Excessive migration has played a significant role in pummelling Australia’s economic productivity, creating extended periods of negative per capita economic growth, and exacerbating the housing and rental crises being experienced by Australians and new migrants alike,” Mr Wild said.
This week, leaked Treasury advice confirmed the IPA’s leading research which showed the federal government’s National Housing Accord target of building 1.2 million homes between 2024 and 2029 will not be met.
“Despite the fact that the federal government has failed to deliver on a single target under its Accord, it continues to ramp up migration intakes, at a time when the nation is simply not building the houses it needs to accommodate a rapidly rising population,” Mr Wild said.
“The excessive, migration-induced demand injected into the housing market, combined with sluggish supply – due to red tape and competition from bloated government infrastructure projects – have created a perfect storm of too many new people and not enough new homes.”
“Australia is a tolerant and welcoming society. However, migration intake must be properly planned, have the support of the community, and not overstretch critical social infrastructure. Overseas migration contributing up to 80 per cent of our population growth is not sustainable,” Mr Wild said.
Concerningly, the federal government’s net overseas migration budget forecast for FY25 (335,000 arrivals) has already been exceeded by 88,990 net permanent and long-term arrivals, or 27 per cent, with another month of data still to be published.
“Failing to rein in unsustainable migration intakes actively drives down living standards when Australians are already struggling with rapidly rising house prices and rents,” Mr Wild said.
“The federal government has overseen negative per capita economic growth in nine of the last eleven full quarters recorded since May 2022.”
“As the federal government has relied on the lazy approach of migration to keep the aggregate economy afloat, the overall economic pie has grown at a headline level but has left individual Australians with an ever-shrinking slice,” Mr Wild said.
To download the IPA’s research click here.
