Defence Minister Richard Marles said Australia's net migration rate has decreased by 45 percent [1] since the COVID-19 pandemic.
This reduction signals a strategic shift by the government to stabilize population growth and prioritize skilled migration over the general surge seen in the pandemic's aftermath.
Marles said to News24 regarding the government's approach to managing borders and population intake. He said that the administration has focused on this issue since taking office, citing the high migration rates inherited following the global health crisis.
"What’s important here … is we’ve been working on this issue from the moment we’ve come to government and what we inherited in the aftermath of the pandemic was a very significant migration rate," Marles said.
Marles said that the current policy has successfully lowered the net migration rate by 45 percent [1] since that period. This move aligns with broader goals to ensure that new arrivals possess the specific skills required to fill gaps in the national workforce, rather than simply increasing overall numbers.
According to Marles, the government is actively working to refine who enters the country to better support economic needs. The reduction is part of a broader effort to manage the infrastructure and housing pressures that often accompany rapid population increases.
"We’ve brought down the net migration rate down by 45 per cent since that moment," Marles said.
“We’ve brought down the net migration rate down by 45 per cent since that moment.”
The reported decline in net migration reflects a transition from the emergency border closures of the pandemic era to a more selective, economy-driven immigration model. By reducing overall numbers while targeting skilled labor, the Australian government aims to mitigate the strain on domestic housing and public services while addressing critical labor shortages in specialized sectors.
