Australia is on the verge of an immigration explosion with government leaders from both major parties enthusiastically endorsing a bigger intake.
Before the pandemic, Australia had a net annual immigration pace of more than 200,000 people and a population growth rate of 1.5 per cent that was almost double the developed world average.
From Wednesday next week, fully-vaccinated foreigners with a working or student visa will be allowed into Australia again for the first time since March 2020.
Up to 160,000 students and 50,000 skilled workers are expected to return to Australia in the next few months.
Australia is on the verge of an immigration explosion with government leaders from both major parties enthusiastically endorsing a bigger intake (pictured is a barista in Sydney)
Prime Minister Scott Morrison's announcement of a 200,000 intake - in December and January alone - would almost surpass the level for an entire financial year before the Covid pandemic.
Now the Australian Capital Territory's Labor Chief Minister Andrew Barr wants Australia to take even more migrants and refugees than before the pandemic.
'I would argue for an increased migration program, with an increased in skilled migration and an increase in the refugee and humanitarian intake over the coming years,' he told the ABC's Q&A program on Thursday night.
'I think we can do that and we can have an unemployment rate nationally below 4 per cent. We have the economic conditions and opportunity to achieve that now.'
Before the pandemic, Australia had a net annual immigration rate of 239,700 in 2018-19.
This fell to 154,100 in 2019-20, with the period covering the first three months of the pandemic.
Now the Australian Capital Territory's Labor Chief Minister Andrew Barr wants Australia to take even more migrants than before the pandemic
Since mid-2013, Australian wages have grown below the three-decade average of 3 per cent and in the year to September, they grew by 2.2 per cent , equaling the level of March 2020 after dropping late last year.
Pay growth is below the decade-average of 2.4 per cent.
In the year to October, Australian house and apartment price surged by 21.6 per cent - the fastest annual pace since 1989, CoreLogic data showed.
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