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The Federal Government is preparing to announce its long-awaited migration strategy aimed at reducing arrivals, to ease pressures on housing, infrastructure and the cost of living.
Labor's plan is expected to focus on international students, targeting those rorting the system.
"The new Migration Strategy we'll announce this week will bring migration back to sustainable levels," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday.
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That will bring numbers down from a predicted peak of more than half a million people in the last 12 months – the highest in history – which is putting pressure on infrastructure, housing and the cost of living.
"The horse has already bolted, not only can he not catch it, he cant even find it," Shadow Immigration Minister Dan Tehan said.
Pre-pandemic net overseas migration boosted the population by 239,600 in 2018-19.
Mid-pandemic in 2019-20 those numbers slowed to 194,400, then reversed to -88,800 in 2020-21 due to border closures.
Post-pandemic there was a catch-up – in 2021-22 an increase of 170,900, followed by an additional 454,400 in March 2023 – but one that's far exceeded expectations.
"The numbers are unprecedented, we've never have net migration at these sorts of levels," Abul Rizvi, former Immigration Department Deputy Secretary said.
The majority here to learn, Rizvi said, adding: "60 per cent of the net migration is students".
"In some cases, the system has been abused," the Prime Minister said.
Labor's strategy is set to include a further crackdown on dodgy education providers with enhanced English speaking requirements for foreign students and the scrapping of student visas for some low-end short courses, outside the university sector.
"We've got to make sure that our population is sustainable," Albanese added.
And while the Prime Minister stopped short of giving 'sustainable' an exact number, his government's intergenerational report assumed a figure of 235,000 people per year and 9News understands his new strategy will aim for the same.
"Whenever net migrations gets to about 300,000, problems start to occur," Rizvi said.
"Fundamentally, no one's ready for 300,000, and [the system] can't cope."
"You've got a rental crisis, you've got a housing crisis, people can't see the GP, it's a mess of the government's making," Tehan said.
