“New ABS data confirms that record migration intake levels were broken in April. The federal government has either lost control of Australia’s migration program or is cravenly using it for its own economic or political purposes, not for the benefit of the nation,” said Morgan Begg, Director of Research at the Institute of Public Affairs.
Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Overseas Arrivals and Departures data for April 2025, released today, shows net permanent and long-term arrivals in April of 2025 were 24,660 – the highest April net intake on record, beating the previous record of 22,770 in 2009 by 8 per cent. Also:
- Net permanent and long-term arrivals in the year-to-April of 2025 were 212,660 – the second highest on record, narrowly surpassed by the previous year’s number at 216,810.
- Net permanent and long-term arrivals in the 12 months to April 2025 were 440,330, the second highest on record, after the year to April 2024 oversaw 487,820 net arrivals.
“After a succession of failed migration estimates, the federal government no longer has any credibility in projecting future migration levels,” Mr Begg said.
“The forecasts used in federal budgets are continuously undermined by the government’s weakness in controlling excessive migration intakes.”
Concerningly, federal budget net overseas migration projections for FY25 (335,000 arrivals) have already been exceeded by 39,076 net permanent and long-term arrivals with two months of data yet to come in.
“Australia is a tolerant and welcoming society for new migrants. However, our migration intake must be planned for, it must enjoy the support of the community, and it must not overstretch critical social infrastructure like housing, schools, roads, and hospitals,” Mr Begg said.
“The federal government is setting Australia up for an economic and humanitarian disaster. Failing to rein in unsustainable migration intakes actively undermines Australians who are struggling with rapidly rising house prices and rental costs,” Mr Begg said.
ABS National Accounts data for the March quarter of 2025 showed that out of control migration is again driving per capita GDP backwards, declining 0.23 per cent in the period.
“Since coming to office, the Albanese government has so far overseen nine quarters of negative per capita economic growth out of the eleven full quarters in which it has been in power,” Mr Begg said.
“As the federal government has relied on the lazy approach of mass migration to keep the aggregate economy afloat, the overall economic pie may have continued to grow at a headline level, but each Australian is being left with an ever-shrinking slice.”
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