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Think Australia would be better off with less migration? The numbers tell a different story

Global Published 21 September 2026, 14:35 · archived 21 Sep 2026

The population is ageing and we’re having fewer babies. Labor should keep that in mind as the migration debate ragesGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastThe intergenerational report lays bare how today’s growing anti-migration rhetoric clashes with a future where we need to attract people from overseas to help grow the economy and pay for our ageing population.The “replacement” fertility rate is 2.1 children per woman – this is the average number of births to keep the population steady without migration and we’ve been below this level for 50 years. Continue reading...

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