Australia adds 446,000 net overseas migrants in 2023-24

Australia’s annual migration figures have been released, and it looks like dire news for Anthony Albanese.

Australia added another Canberra worth of migrants to its population last financial year, down slightly from the record extra Newcastle the year before but overshooting Anthony Albanese’s promised target by a Port Macquarie.

The final net overseas migration number for 2023-24, published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Friday, came in at 446,000, down from a record 536,000 in 2022-23.

“This fall represents the first annual drop in net overseas migration since Australia’s borders reopened in 2021-22,” ABS head of migration statistics Jenny Dobak said in a statement.

“This change in net overseas migration is led by a decrease in migrant arrivals, largely temporary visa holders, while departures increased during the same period. It follows a period of multiple record increases in net overseas migration consistent with a catch-up in arrivals following almost two years of border restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Australia has a brand new Canberra, without the Canberra. Picture: Getty Images

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The Prime Minister had vowed to reduce the annual number to 395,000 in 2023-24 — a miss of 51,000 — before bringing migration back to a more “sustainable” long-term average of 235,000.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton previously pledged to cut net overseas migration to 160,000 per year if elected, but recently walked away from that promise.

Australia recorded its highest net overseas migration number of any 12-month period in the year to September 2023, when 556,000 people were added to the population.

The latest figures reveal migrant arrivals in 2023-24 fell by 10 per cent compared with 2022-23 while migrant departures rose by 8 per cent.

In 2023-24, there were 667,000 migrant arrivals to Australia, down from 739,000 the year before.

Almost three in four arrivals, or 465,000, were on temporary visas, down from 557,000.

International students made up the largest group on 207,000.

Permanent visa holder arrivals (91,000), Australian citizen arrivals (60,000) and New Zealand citizens (51,000) recorded higher volumes than 2022-23.

There were 667,000 migrant arrivals last financial year. Picture: Nikki Short/NewsWire

The number of migrant departures in 2023-24 rose to 221,000 people, up from 204,000 the year before.

“We are seeing some temporary visa holders starting to leave, after having arrived as part of the large rise in arrivals seen after borders reopened,” Ms Dobak said. “For example, migrant departures on temporary student visas doubled in 2023-24 compared to the year before.”

The top five countries of birth for overseas migrants in 2023-24 were India, China, Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

The median age of migrant arrivals was 27 and for migrant departures it was 31.

In the five years prior to the pandemic, the average number of migrant arrivals was 515,000 per year with the majority arriving on temporary visas (307,000).

“The government is continuing to bring migration down from its post Covid peak,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said.

“Given his history as the Minister who granted the most visas in Australian history, it’s unsurprising that Peter Dutton has gone from voting against migration caps to walking away from having any migration target at all. He will take the brakes off migration, deepening the housing crisis.”

Lobby group Sustainable Population Australia said at 2.1 per cent the country was seeing a “third-world pace of population growth”, 80 per cent of which is resulting from net overseas migration.

“Australia cannot afford to keep growing by over half a million people, or by almost the population of Tasmania (575,400) each year,” SPA national President Peter Strachan said in a statement.

“Infrastructure costs associated with that number of people damage the economy and add pressure to housing availability and cost, largely caused by demand exceeding supply. Australia’s power supplies are approaching physical limits, especially in Sydney. Put another 100,000 people in the Sydney Basin and add a heatwave, and power outages are almost certain.”