Shadow Minister for Immigration and Shadow Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Senator Paul Scarr has criticised the Albanese Labor Government’s management of immigration policy following the release of the permanent migration intake for the 2025-26 year.
Senator Scarr said “Labor’s decision to bring in one million people in just its first two years of government has put enormous pressure on housing, infrastructure, and essential services. Families are struggling to find a home, communities are feeling the strain, and the cost of poor planning is being carried by every Australian”.
“There is no explanation regarding how this announcement of the permanent migration intake reflects the very real pressures facing modern Australia. It is made on 2 September, more than two months after the financial year began. That delay is unacceptable and shows a government with no plan for one of the most important portfolios shaping our future”
Labor’s own migration strategy review, released in March 2023, called for long-term planning that supports stable and predictable population growth. It recommended settings that would allow governments to plan properly for housing, infrastructure, and services. More than two years later, Labor could not even release the permanent migration program on time.
This failure is compounded by a record of wildly inaccurate forecasts. In its first budget, Labor estimated net overseas migration of 235,000 in 2022–23. The actual result was 528,000. In that same budget, Labor forecast the same figure – 235,000 in 2023-24 – but the outcome was 446,000.
These repeated failures have made it harder for communities, governments, and service providers to plan for the future. Locking in high migration without addressing housing and infrastructure pressures is reckless.
Meanwhile, the number of failed asylum seekers who have had their applications rejected but who remain in Australia is set to exceed 100,000 without any indication from the Labor Government as to how it is going to manage this issue. Australians deserve better.
Immigration has always been central to our story. We are a migrant nation, built by generations who chose this country and made it their home. It must always be remembered that the issues we face today are because of failed government policy. Migration must be managed responsibly, with stable settings and long-term planning to ensure housing, jobs, services, and infrastructure can keep pace.
