Migration experts say much of the debate often lacks key context, including ongoing domestic labour shortages, post-COVID-19 migration flows and Australia's economic reliance on skilled migrants and international students.
Australia, like many advanced economies, is an ageing society — a demographic shift that economists and demographers say makes immigration central to sustaining the labour force, productivity and long-term growth.
Experts say the challenge for the broader community is to ensure that debate over migration does not harden into division, as the country grapples with balancing economic pressures with the realities of a diverse, multicultural society.