New figures have revealed the critical role migrants play in keeping Australia running as the migration debate becomes more divisive.

According to Department of Home Affairs data, a significant proportion of workers in essential industries were born overseas.

That includes 57 per cent of GPs, 47 per cent of surgeons, 43 per cent of nurses, 40 per cent of aged and disability carers, 37 per cent of child carers, 37 per cent of plasterers, 28 per cent of building labourers and 52 per cent of farm workers.

Economist Dr Ian Pringle said that without migration, the Australian economy would have been in recession over the past two years.

“The truth is that with current  low birth rates, migration is vital for the economy wellbeing of the nation,” he said.

Migration has long been a divisive issue, with some questioning the impact on society and the economy. 

Anti-migration rallies have blamed new entrants for social division while stoking their own, arguing migration drains the welfare system and dilutes national identity.

“Lack of housing is due to mass migration they’ve allowed to come into the country,” One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said recently.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has also said that “mass migration is changing Australia for the worse”.

However, experts say migrants are being unfairly blamed for problems created by poor government planning. 

“That’s got to stop. This is the failure of policy and politicians to do what they need to do.” said ANU academic Liz Allen.

As the temperature of the migration debate ratchets higher, political leaders are promising to cut the intake. 

And migration policy is now shaping as the defining issue in the next election.

Labor’s net overseas migration target is 225,000 a year. The Coalition has promised below 200,000, and One Nation wants the figure cut to 130,000.

Asked what sort of nation he wants to see, Prime Mister said he wanted an Australia “that has the right population”.

“I want an Australia that is united, one that has social cohesion at our core,” he said.

Dr Pringle said cutting migration will have little effect on housing affordability but may damage economic growth while creating even greater skills shortages.

“About 60 per cent of permanent visas go to people already in the country on temporary or student visas. So, reducing net overseas migration is really about reducing temporary migration,” he said.

“The idea that migrants will take people’s jobs is also farcical. New arrivals and their families add to the demand for labour and goods and services; and they add to the available supply of workers, especially skilled ones.

“A lot has been said about the large number of migrants who have arrived in the past couple of years.

“This is just an adjustment stemming from the fact that migration numbers were in the negative during the COVID 19 pandemic; and many of these new arrivals are international students returning after being locked out of their studies during the pandemic,” Dr Pringle said.