“The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows, once again, a record number of net permanent and long-term arrivals entered Australia in the first seven months of 2025,” said Daniel Wild, Deputy Executive Director of the Institute of Public Affairs.
Today, the Australian Bureau of Statistics released new Overseas Arrivals and Departures data, with the reference period to July 2025, which shows:
- Net permanent and long-term arrivals in the year-to-July 2025 (1 January to 31 July) were 348,420; this was the highest on record for the period, exceeding the previous record in 2024.
- Net permanent and long-term arrivals in the July month of 2025 were 68,960; this was the second highest July net arrivals on record, just below the record set in 2023 at 72,770.
- Net permanent and long-term arrivals in the twelve months to 31 July 2025 were 459,740 – the second highest on record after the same period the previous year.
“Once again the latest data shows that the unprecedented surge of Australia’s population, underpinned by mass migration, continues, with mainstream Australians paying the price,” Mr Wild said.
“Australia is a tolerant and welcoming country, and migration has and will always be a part of our national story. But Australia’s migration programme needs to be properly planned for, be sustainable, and have the support of the community.”
Net Permanent and Long-Term Arrivals; January-July by year
While ‘net permanent and long-term arrivals’ and ‘net overseas migration’ differ slightly, they remain closely related measures. The latter, in effect, is an adjustment to the former to incorporate the 12/16 rule, whereby an arrival counts as an overseas migrant arrival if the person stays in Australia for 12 of the following 16 months. Conversely, a departure is counted as an emigration (or expatriation) if the individual lives overseas for 12 of the following 16 months.
Determination as to whether a person makes a permanent or long-term journey into Australia does not incorporate the 12/16 rule. Since measuring net overseas migration necessarily lags behind permanent and long-term movement accounting, net permanent and long-term arrivals can act as a proxy to estimate net overseas migration.
“As the IPA has previously highlighted, the federal government agency, the Centre for Population, explicitly states in its handbook, Fundamentals of migration in Australia: Migration concepts and measurement, that the net permanent and long-term arrivals measure is “an early indicator of future migration flows”,” Mr Wild said.
This new data follows attempts by sections of the media and the Australian Bureau of Statistics to shut down the migration debate.
“There is growing anger in the community about Australia’s out-of-control migration program. What we have seen recently is Australia’s political class and elites doing whatever it takes to shut down debate on policies it does not want challenged,” Mr Wild said.
“The federal government has deliberately and dramatically increased Australia’s migration intake, which has contributed to destroying the dream of home ownership for too many Australians, has played a large part in creating a prolonged per capita economic recession, and has fanned the flames of social division.”
“The elevated level of migration is no longer a post-pandemic catch up, but the new normal under the Albanese government. It is something that Australia simply cannot afford – with housing, infrastructure, and services unable to keep up,” Mr Wild said.
To download the IPA’s research click here.
