Skilled and hard-working migrants are a powerhouse for a country’s wealth and innovation, and Australia is a nation of immigrants. We should not only tolerate but continue to work hard to attract those with a great work ethic and sought-after skills.

We must keep the influx manageable though, and there are plenty of signs that immigration has been running too hot. Numbers should be reduced to more sustainable levels while we expand inelastic housing supply, services and infrastructure, and give both sides time for social integration.

Australia’s Immigration Numbers

For a country of 26 million, it is quite a bump to have brought in over 1 million new migrants this past electoral term. The figure below shows this huge step change info mass migration:

…putting Australia at the top of the scale for net migration per capita:

And perhaps most concerning, this surge in immigration appears to be much higher than planned, so is not being effectively managed.

Negative Effects of High Immigration

• Additional strain on our limited housing supply
• Increased demand on public services
• Goods and services price inflation
• Cultural tensions, reduced social cohesion

Immigration Policy Reforms

• Reduction of baseline net immigration to pre-COVID levels
• Dynamic immigration caps, driven by data metrics such as housing availability and cultural tension markers (e.g. Scanlon surveys, police stats on crime and public disturbances)
• Stricter requirements for cultural assimilation, 3-strikes visa revocation for acts against Australia or Australian values
• Firmer guarantor requirements for sponsors of family visas
• Additional short-term dynamic caps for key workers in key areas with workforce shortages (e.g. currently school teachers, housing construction)