Australia’s Labor government has blamed its failure to meet its own migration targets on immigrants not leaving when expected, with many switching to bridging visas or seeking asylum.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Sunday addressed the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showing the population has surpassed 27.1 million due to mass immigration, admitting that the twice-revised forecast of 395,000 would not be met.
“When it comes to arrivals, we’re more or less tracking as we expected, but when it comes to departures that’s been the big difference,” Dr Chalmers told Sky News.
“That’s why there is likely to be a revision of those net overseas migration forecasts because of those fewer departures.”
The Treasury department’s Centre for Population growth made a similar statement last week, noting that net overseas migration “remains elevated, with arrivals still high despite some recent moderation, and departures remaining low”.
“Low departures are due to both the relatively recent arrival of many temporary migrants and many onshore migrants seeking to extend their stay by applying for further visas,” it said.
As of the end of July there were 299,101 immigrants on bridging visas, up from 176,856 in June 2023, driven by international students appealing visa refusals.
Home Affairs figures also show that the number of asylum seekers in Australia has hit a six-year high of 117,500, including 85,689 who have had their applications rejected but are yet to be deported, Nine Newspapers revealed on Sunday.
A record number of these are international students, and former deputy secretary of the Department of Immigration Abul Rizvi said in July this would only increase further as a result of on visa-hopping crackdowns and enrolment caps.
Labor originally set a net overseas migration target of 315,000 for the 2023-24 financial year after promising to bring down the number of immigrants, but revised it to 375,000 in December and then again to 395,000 during this year’s Budget.
But figures from as early as July showed that net overseas migration was already at 445,510 with one month left to go, while the latest ABS figures confirmed it was at 388,000 after just nine months.
For the coming years Labor has set a net overseas migration target of 260,000 in 2024/25, 255,000 the year after that, and 235,000 in 2026-27 and 2027-28, according to treasury papers.
Even if these numbers are achieved it would mean a total net intake of almost 2 million between 2022 and 2028, more than the population of South Australia.
Header image: Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Queensland Premier Steven Miles with dots painted on their heads for “India Day”, left, and Anthony Albanese meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, right (Facebook, X)
