Immigration and refugees

Immigration and border protection policy are among the most contested issues in the Australian political debate. Concerns about the rate of immigration to Australia softened somewhat in 2019. After a sharp spike in 2018, fewer than half of Australians (47%, down seven points) in 2019 said that the total number of migrants coming to Australia each year was ‘too high’. However, this level remains ten points higher than in 2014. When considering the pros and cons of immigration more generally, a majority of Australians remain positive, but the balance of attitudes appears to be shifting. In 2019, 67% agreed that ‘overall, immigration has a positive impact on the economy’, 65% said that ‘immigrants strengthen the country because of their hard work and talents’, and 62% agreed that ‘accepting immigrants from many different countries makes Australia stronger’. However, each of these results were lower than in 2016 (six points, seven points and ten points, respectively).

The pressure on cities and infrastructure may have driven this shift in attitudes in 2019, with almost three-quarters (71%) of Australians saying that ‘Australian cities are already too crowded’. However, a majority of Australians (59%) rejected the idea that ‘immigrants take away jobs from other Australians’, although fewer disagreed than in 2016. The population was divided on the question of whether ‘immigrants are a burden on our social welfare system’ (48% agreeing, 50% disagreeing).