A surge in international students and temporary workers boosted net arrivals to the country to a record 548,000 in the year to September 2023. The prime minister said that figure is expected to fall to 250,000 in the next financial year.

Abul Rizvi, former undersecretary of the Immigration Department, said net overseas migration would not fall fast enough to reach the government’s forecast of 375,000 for the current financial year. He expects it to be well above 400,000.

“The government is likely to announce further tightening in the May budget to try to achieve net overseas migration of 250,000 in 2024-25, but it will be difficult to achieve that if the labor market remains strong.

“The risk is that the government takes some very short-term measures, such as increasing student fees or limiting student visas. It needs a longer-term strategy to manage the international education industry, which is the key driver of net overseas migration,” Risvi said.

The government is well aware of growing community tensions, including in Sydney following the stabbing at Christ the Good Shepherd Church on Monday night. Deemed by authorities to be a terrorist attack, it came 24 hours after six people were killed in a rampage in Bondi Junction.

Albanese called multiculturalism a key feature of modern Australia, noting that diverse communities coexisted successfully with each other in cities such as Sydney and Melbourne.

He described the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and the subsequent riots as terrible.

“We need to make sure that we foster our multiculturalism, that we show mutual respect at all times.”

Opposition leader Peter Dutton used a speech to the St Kilda Hebrew congregation on Friday to call for rising anti-Semitism to be tackled.

“As you know, a social contract is fundamental to Australia’s social cohesion.

“Whatever our origins, our faith or our cultural traditions, we do not allow problems, tensions or animosity from other parts of the world to manifest in our communities or on our streets.”

He called for a society-wide effort to reaffirm cultural values ​​and resist “evil forces” that threaten community cohesion.