Victoria and NSW could lose seats in the federal parliament because of Australia’s COVID-19 demographic shifts, as newly released census data suggests the major parties will face tough competition from the Greens and independents at the 2025 election.

At 25.5 million people – more than 2 million more than in 2016 – Australia’s population has more than doubled in 50 years. Census 2021 showed the ACT again had the fastest population growth, at 14.4 per cent, while more than 1 million new residents have arrived in Australia since 2017.