The Albanese government has declared it will keep its permanent migration figures at 185,000 individuals, just days after anti-immigration demonstrations took place nationwide.

On Sunday, tens of thousands participated in rallies in every major capital city across Australia, voicing opposition to the record-high immigration levels observed since the Covid pandemic.

But on Tuesday morning, Immigration Minister Tony Burke announced that there will be no change to the permanent migration intake this financial year.

“The Albanese Labor government will uphold the 2025-26 permanent migration program at the same level and settings as the 2024-2025 program, at 185,000,” Burke stated.

He explained, “This decision follows consultation with the states and territories, which advised maintaining the program’s size and composition, with an emphasis on skilled migration.”

Additionally, he mentioned, “The Department of Home Affairs has been processing visas according to last year’s levels, ensuring there hasn’t been any disruption to the program’s delivery.”

The permanent migration figure includes those on skilled, family and special eligibility visas. 

However, it does not include those with Australian citizenship, those with permanent residency or those on temporary visas.

These people are recorded by net overseas migration (NOM), which hit a record high of 538,000 people in 2022-23.

It has since fallen to 446,000 in 2023-24, with the latest figures expected to be published later this month.

During Question Time on Monday, Bob Katter, the outspoken Member for Kennedy, challenged Albanese on what he described as the ‘ballooning costs of immigration.’ 

He accused the government of turning a blind eye to Australians’ concerns about migration and resource development.

Katter claimed that the intake of more than 400,000 migrants annually was placing unsustainable pressure on housing and infrastructure. ‘

‘In the last two years, our population has grown by around one million people,’ he said.

Katter argued that the population surge was harming the economy and urged the government to instead prioritise gas reserve policies and a new coal project in the Galilee Basin. 

‘Shouldn’t the government be about carrying out the will of the people and creating economic development?’ he pressed.

Albanese fired back, defending the government’s approach and Australia’s democratic process. 

‘First, regarding the will of the people, that’s called elections. And we have a proud democracy in this country, and I defend it,’ the Prime Minister said.

He rejected Katter’s figures outright, questioning their accuracy and pointing to migration data showing a 37 per cent drop in net overseas migration in 2024.

Albanese also framed Australia’s diversity as a national strength, both economically and socially.

‘People in this country voted for a government that would understand that modern Australia is a different nation than it was under the White Australia policy,’ he said.

Albanese has previously said that Labor is committed to reducing NOM to pre-pandemic levels.

 The tense exchange followed Katter’s appearance at the March for Australia in Townsville, where individuals believed to have ties to neo-Nazi groups were present.

Similar groups were seen at related events in Sydney and Melbourne.

Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) has since distanced itself from those groups after one of its MPs was photographed with them at the rally.