Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he intends to cut Australia's permanent migration intake by about 30,000 people, acknowledging public concern about congested cities.
"They are saying: enough, enough, enough," Mr Morrison said at a speech in Sydney on Monday night.
"The roads are clogged, the buses and trains are full. The schools are taking no more enrolments. I hear what you are saying. I hear you loud and clear."
Mr Morrison made the remarks as part of the 2018 Bradfield Oration at the Art Gallery of NSW.
The immigration intake cap has been set at 190,000 since 2012-13. For most of those years, the real intake has nearly met the cap. But in 2017-18 the intake plummeted to its , with just 163,000 permanent arrivals – made up of both skilled and family visas.
Prime Minister Morrison said he expected the cap itself to fall next financial year, due to a shift that will give the states the responsibility to .
“I anticipate that this will lead to a reduction in our current migration settings,” Mr Morrison said, citing the 160,000 level intake of 2017-18.
