An ABC program actually dealing with immigration statistics is fairly rare. But it seems that even some right-wing pro-growth commentators have been raising concern about the statistic that 1544 new migrants are arriving every day. "1544 people who need housing". The IPA, normally a fan of population growth, has suggested that "excessive migration has pummelled Australia's economic productivity".
Media Watch smelled blood in the water, and set out to show that these statistics were bogus, while saying as little as possible about how high Australia's immigration and population-growth rates are by first-world standards, or about the huge economic costs that Judith Sloan, Leith van Olesen and other economists have described. (Leith van Olesen was, for once, mentioned, but his views were misrepresented, making him seem to be on the Presenter's side of the debate.)
Media Watch admitted that the figure of 1544 was drawn from data published by Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) --e.g. from their fact sheet on "Overseas arrivals and departures data for June 2025". Media Watch claimed that these figures were misinterpreted, and splashed an ABS data sheet on screen for an impossibly short time. However if you call it up at https://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/episodes/ep-29/105283522 [1]
(about 2 mins 49 seconds in), and freeze the page so you can actually read it, you may find Media Watch's account of what ABS says is muddled or misleading.
The problem with the ABS statistics is that the ABS has to rely on the stated intentions of arriving and departing passengers. More accurate information as to what percentages of them are actually staying, or leaving, for good are only available a long time later—which is why these recent figures, though not an ideal measure of current net migration levels, are perhaps the best we can hope to receive (and perhaps act upon) in a timely way. (As Leith pointed out.)
The Presenter did not make a very clear case , and was probably a bit muddled about the statistics, yet talked confidently: "In fact there are reliable migration numbers lying about. And what do they show?" Apparently that in 2024 net migration decreased by 36%. (Presumably from whatever it was in 2023? No source or context given. ABS?) "Which paints a somewhat different picture. No?" he quipped.
The only expert he cited was a veteran population-growth promoter Peter McDonald, who offered that often-heard reassurance (much used by Bob Hawke among others) that we should not worry too much about current immigration levels because they are "expected to fall".
And as so often, the ABC deployed an ad hominem argument, that people who raise concern about migration levels are very likely to hate migrants and foreigners, "because the fear of foreigners is a old as time", plus a far from veiled hint that such persons are probably not too far from Hitler in their thinking.
I wish it was somehow possible for people to sue the ABC for breaching its own news charter by de-emphasizing Australia's very high levels of immigration and population growth, by so obviously ignoring the economic social and environmental costs that ought to be a major topic for a national news broadcaster, by so selectively publicizing one side of the debate, and by almost never mentioning the obvious vested interests of the pro-growth side, while persistently attributing unworthy motives to the other side.
If such a law-suit was ever on the cards, tonight's Media Watch would provide a useful example of the group-think bias the ABC so often displays on this issue.
NOTES
[1] Media Watch 2025 Episode 29: Stop the Boeings; When Benny Met Sharri; Tech trip up, 25 August 2025
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