Overview

• Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed the 2025–26 permanent migration program will stay at 185,000 places, with states backing a skilled focus, as the Coalition urges a lower cap citing pressure on housing and infrastructure.
• Net overseas migration peaked at about 538,000 in 2022–23 and fell to roughly 341,000 for the 12 months to December 31, 2024, with ministers saying the rate continues to moderate from the post‑pandemic surge.
• Large ‘March for Australia’ rallies featured visible neo‑Nazi participation that drew cross‑party condemnation, and neo‑Nazi figure Thomas Sewell was arrested and charged over violence linked to the Melbourne events.
• Officials and experts warned that misuse of ABS arrivals data inflated perceptions of migration, with former immigration deputy secretary Abul Rizvi faulting the government’s limited public explanation for fuelling anxiety.
• The opposition secured a two‑hour Senate inquiry to expedite deportation legislation tied to Nauru transfers for former detainees, drawing support from the Coalition and sharp criticism from multicultural and refugee groups over due‑process risks.