Australia's population growth hits historic low
It slowed to 0.5% last year during Covid-19; calls now mounting for a reboot in migration
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Australia's population had been soaring in recent years, fuelled by a steady influx of skilled migrants. But the coronavirus outbreak prompted the authorities to impose international travel restrictions, causing migrant numbers to plunge.
PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Jonathan Pearlman For The Sunday Times In Sydney, Jonathan Pearlman
Australia has recorded its lowest population growth in more than a century after a sudden restriction on migration during the Covid-19 pandemic prompted a demographic slump.
But the government is under growing pressure from businesses to reopen borders and allow the inflow of skilled workers to resume.
