A crowd gathered at a recent auction in Sydney. Picture: Julian Andrews
Calls for a reduction in migration are growing as Australia grapples with housing shortages and pressure cooker rental conditions.
New polling by the Institute for Public Affairs revealed 71 per cent of national respondents agreed there should be a temporary halt in migration intake until more houses and infrastructure was built.
This was up from the 60 per cent of respondents who wanted a pause in migration when the Melbourne-based think tank last ran the same survey back in 2023.
It comes amid record migration intake. Australia welcomed 380,000 net permanent and long-term arrivals over the first eight months of 2025 – the highest volume for this period of year ever recorded.
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Analysis of ABS data also revealed net permanent and long-term arrivals over the 12 months to September were just under 468,000.
Close to two thirds of Australians polled in the recent IPA survey believed migration intake was “too high”. About 33 per cent said it was about right and 7 per cent said it was too low.
Dr Kevin You, senior fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs, said the polling results were “remarkable” given Australia had a “very stable and well supported migration program for decades”.
Australia’s migration levels. Picture: IPA
He pointed to rising rents and home prices as a catalyst for the changing sentiment around overseas arrivals.
“Young Australians are being locked out of the housing market, yet the only thing state and federal governments have had to offer is empty housing construction targets that have never been met,” Dr You said.
“Migration has and will always be a part of the Australian story, but the current rate is clearly unsustainable. Mainstream Australians understand this, which is why they are growing more frustrated.”
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The IPA said young Aussies were growing frustrated at the lack of leadership on the migration issue. Picture: Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images
Anti-immigration attitudes have historically been strongest among older Australians, but survey results showed support for a pause in migration was gaining traction with younger residents too.
About half of 18-24 year-olds wanted a pause in migration in 2023 but support for a break in intake has swelled to 74 per cent among this age group in 2025, according to the IPA.
This was on par with the level of support for a hold in intake among those aged 55-65 and those over 65.
People between the ages of 18-24, along with those 55-64, were the most likely to agree that mass migration was “making Australia more divided”, at 74 and 75 per cent, respectively.
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A line of renters outside a rental inspection in Sydney. Vacancy rates have returned to near record lows in many cities this year.
Dr You noted that the rise in Aussies reporting that they wanted a pause in migration until infrastructure had a chance to catch up followed swift rises in national home prices.
“The price of the average home (nationally) has been rising fast and now exceeds $1 million,” he said.
“This is not an abstract concern for Australians who are struggling to buy their first home or find a place to rent, it’s a battle they face every day.
“It is little wonder why so many are frustrated and angry at the lack of leadership on this issue.”
“Mainstream Australians are sick of being taken for a ride by the political class when it comes to migration intakes and failed housing policies.
“If our political leaders do not stand up and face the facts, there is no doubt Australia will become more divided than ever.”
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The average price of a Sydney house is now about $1.5 million.
Demographer Simon Kuestenmacher noted in a recent Demographics Decoded podcast that migration figures should be kept in context with the Covid pandemic.
He explained that there was a “high number” of migration over 2024 but he added that it was “catch up” from the extremely rare situation seen during the pandemic when the country “lost migration”.
Mr Kuestenmacher said migration filled gaps in the workforce left by Australia’s rapidly ageing population.
“We’re hooked on migration,” he said.
“It keeps us young and keeps the tax system afloat.”
The relationship between housing prices and migration was also complex, he said.
“Even when migration was negative during the pandemic, house prices still rose. Cutting migration won’t fix affordability, because housing is expensive by design.”
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