Australian Poll Shows Two-Thirds Favor Reduced Immigration

A recent Newspoll survey indicates that 66 percent of Australians support reducing the country's migrant intake, highlighting immigration as a major political issue. The poll of 1,244 voters found that 37 percent favored "a lot fewer" immigrants and 29 percent supported "fewer" immigrants.

Just 6 percent of respondents wished to see an increase in migration, while 28 percent believed the current level should be maintained. More than half of those surveyed, 52 percent, indicated that migration brings both benefits and drawbacks to Australia.

Support for immigration cuts was most pronounced among supporters of the One Nation party, with 95 percent backing a lower intake. Among Coalition voters, 76 percent favored a reduction, while 60 percent of minor party and independent supporters agreed. Among Labor voters, 44 percent supported cuts, and 29 percent of Greens voters held the same view.

Conversely, Labor and Greens voters were more inclined to maintain the current migration levels. Approximately 47 percent of Labor voters and 56 percent of Greens voters stated that Australia's migrant intake should remain unchanged. In comparison, 20 percent of Coalition voters and only 2 percent of One Nation supporters shared this opinion.

The poll results emerge as the Albanese government has announced reforms aimed at lowering net overseas migration. These changes include generally preventing future international students and graduate visa holders from bringing family members to Australia. Additionally, backpackers seeking second and third-year working holiday visas will face a ballot system for a limited number of places.

The government also plans to tighten restrictions on visitor visa holders attempting to switch to other visa types while in Australia, intensify enforcement against visa overstayers, and prioritize skilled workers in sectors such as construction, agriculture, fisheries, and teaching. The government's objective is to achieve a net overseas migration of 245,000 for 2026-27 and 225,000 for 2027-28.

Recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows net overseas migration has decreased to 292,100 annually, a notable reduction from the post-pandemic peak of 556,000 recorded in September 2023.

Meanwhile, the One Nation party has proposed a significant reduction in Australia's temporary migrant population, aiming to cut it by 750,000 over three years. Their plan includes substantial reductions in international student numbers and a ban on families of skilled migrants and foreign students accompanying them to Australia. The proposal seeks to lower student visa numbers to just over 100,000 per year, a third of current levels, and establish a separate category for "high-value" students.

One Nation's plan would also implement lifetime bans for visa overstayers who remain in the country unlawfully for more than three months. Under their proposal, Australia would experience "net-negative migration" for three years, followed by a long-term cap of 130,000 net overseas migrants annually, subject to annual review.

The survey also highlighted differing views on the perceived benefits of migration across the political spectrum. Over half of Greens supporters (51 percent) and 42 percent of Labor voters believe immigration benefits most Australians. In contrast, only 20 percent of Coalition voters and 3 percent of One Nation supporters agreed with this assessment.