Explore the latest developments concerning Australian net overseas.
Australian net overseas migration falls to lowest level since 2022 – but the Coalition says that’s still too high
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show migration growth is above pre-pandemic levels but tracking steadily down
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Net overseas migration added 301,000 people to Australiaâs population last year, the lowest increase since mid-2022 but still above the pre-pandemic pace.
The new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics come amid an increasingly fraught political debate around immigration, after Pauline Hansonâs declaration that Australian society should be âmonoculturalâ.
After collapsing below zero during the Covid lockdowns, annual migration growth sprang back to as high as 556,000 in late 2023.
Since then, net overseas migration (Nom) has tracked steadily down â a fact the government has been keen to emphasise amid repeated attacks from the Coalition that Labor has failed to bring the numbers of arrivals back to âsustainableâ levels.
Migration dips as Coalition accuses government of failing to meet targets
Net overseas migration dipped slightly in 2025 to 301,000, down from 306,000 the year before. (AAP: Dean Lewins)
New data shows a net increase of 301,000 migrants to Australia in 2025, marginally down from 306,000 in 2024.
It is the 14th consecutive quarter of net overseas migration above 300,000.
The federal opposition has accused Labor of locking in an unsustainable new normal for migration.
Net overseas migration remained above 300,000 last year, fuelling opposition claims Labor has locked in an unsustainable new normal despite the number of arrivals continuing to fall.
The figures, released on Thursday, showed 301,000 people landed in Australia in 2025, almost unchanged from the previous year's net migration intake of 306,000.
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Lower migration won’t fix Australia’s housing woes
Politicians need to level with voters about the trade-offs of lower migration: an ageing population, lower economic growth and the possibility of skill shortages.
Canberra’s febrile atmosphere has provided little oxygen for sensible discussion on the economic realities of immigration policy.
On the political right, for instance, a fierce tug-of-war is under way to claim credit for harder-line migration policies. The Coalition has proposed deeper screening for migrants from non-liberal democracies ruled by fundamentalists, extremists and dictators to weed out applicants who don’t subscribe to our values.
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