SYDNEY: Australia’s immigration levels fell last year, official data showed on Thursday, as its center-left government seeks to combat an ascendent far-right riding a wave of public discontent over soaring housing prices and cost of living. Net overseas migration added 301,000 people to Australia’s population of 28 million last year, Canberra’s Bureau of Statistics reported. Immigration minister Tony Burke said the figure was down nine percent from a year earlier and 45 percent lower than a post-Covid peak in 2023.

Australia’s population grew by 412,000 people in 2025, the latest figures show, nearly three-quarters of which was due to overseas net migration.

While the drop will please Labor, which has been under siege from opponents over immigration, one expert warns further policy tightening is required.