Half of Australia’s New Migrants Settling in Sydney and Melbourne: Report

Research by the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) shows that most migrants to Australia are settling in Melbourne and Sydney, with 57 percent establishing a base in these two cities.
The think tank’s analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data also revealed that 83 percent of all new migrants settled in one of this nation’s capital cities.
Meanwhile, 5.4 percent settled in Adelaide, 1.6 percent in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), and 0.6 percent in Hobart and Darwin.
He said this placed immense pressure on social services and caused congestion on roads and public transport with “no plan for how this will be fixed.”
Given Australia’s high housing prices, he raised concerns about the country’s lack of affordable housing.
“Home ownership is a fundamental component of the Australian way of life, yet governments are not serious about ensuring that all Australians have access to affordable housing,” You said.
He said Australia is not building enough homes for first-home buyers and new arrivals.
“Migration has played a critical role in our nation’s history, but this government is running the single largest mass migration program without a plan to house new arrivals. It is setting Australia up for an economic and social disaster,” he said.
“We do need to make sure our immigration rates are in line with our capacity to build houses and that clearly hasn’t been the case,” he said in an interview on Sept. 5.
“In fact, the numbers show us that an increase in population of over 1.4 million since Labor came to power, this came out yesterday.”
Migrant arrivals rose by 73 percent to 737,000 from 427,000 the previous year, while departures fell by 2 percent to 219,000. The next update on this data is expected on Dec. 13, 2024.
In response, the Albanese government announced in late August that it would cap the number of new international students to 270,000 in 2025.
“From 2026, the Albanese Government will encourage universities to create new supplies of student housing to benefit both domestic and international students as part of their future growth.”
Meanwhile, New South Wales Libertarian MLC John Ruddick suggested there should be a five-year pause on immigration.
He said this would allow Australia to reassess and ensure that newcomers contribute to the “betterhood of Australia.”
“We want the cream of the world to come here, but I do believe we need a breather.”