Australian businessman Dick Smith has voiced strong criticism against the country's immigration policies, calling the current pace of arrivals 'relentless' as Australia's population officially exceeded 28 million.
On Tuesday, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) recorded that the nation's population had surpassed 28 million. Current projections indicate the population could reach 29 million by late 2028 and 30 million by 2031.
Mr Smith said the rapid growth is 'completely driven by immigration' and not by natural increase, as Australian birth rates remain below replacement levels. 'The natural birthrate is below replacement level because Australian families are sensible. They have a population plan, but Australia doesn't,' Mr Smith told The Daily Telegraph.
The entrepreneur warned that if current trends continue, the population could balloon to 100 million by the year 2100. 'The problem at the moment is the relentless level of immigration,' he said. 'We're going to get to 100 million by 2100, when our grandchildren will still be alive. One hundred million is a ridiculous number for a dry country like Australia.'
According to the ABS, a person arrives to live in Australia every 59 seconds, with the overall population increasing by one person every one minute and 15 seconds. Meanwhile, there is one birth every two minutes and 16 seconds, and one death every three minutes and 33 seconds.
The ABS model also estimates that in 2026, the average age of the country is 39.72 years old, with the female population being 1.8 per cent higher than the male population. In 2025, the projected population was 27,594,464, compared to 28,086,207 in 2026, an increase of 491,743.
Last month, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor revealed the Coalition's sweeping new immigration policy that would slash migrant arrivals by at least 70 per cent. The proposal would cap immigration according to housing construction, ensuring the government cannot bring in more people than the country can accommodate.
According to figures in the federal budget, Australia will welcome 35,000 additional people in 2025-26 compared to the previous forecast, and an extra 20,000 in 2026-27. This means a total net overseas migration of 1.2 million people between 2025 and 2030.
