The problem with Labor and the Coalition's population blame game: neither wants to set a net migration target
With Australia's population about to hit 27 million, the next election may be dominated by immigration.
On Thursday morning, Australian newspapers reported that Labor will be bringing forward ramped-up integrity checks and tougher visa conditions for foreign students. It was the government’s attempt to get ahead of new migration figures released today, which showed that Australia’s population had hit almost 27 million.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed net overseas migration jumped 548,000 in the 12 months to September — the biggest jump on record. Net migration was 145,200 for the September quarter, slightly lower than what the government was fearing but still the second-largest quarterly rise on record.
Both sides of politics blame each other: the opposition says the huge increases have occurred on the government's watch, while Labor says the Coalition's neglected compliance functions for years resulted in the temporary migrant intake getting out of control.
The government believes the numbers have peaked, and it is going about implementing measures in its migration strategy released in December, including new English-language requirements for student and graduate visas which will be rolled out from this Saturday. Labor wants to get net migration down to its long-term historic average of 235,000, which it is projected to do by 2026–27, although it doesn’t have an official target.
