“This pattern is expected to continue as international students return following the reopening of international borders,however there are fewer students ready to depart because very few arrived during the pandemic.”

The government has come under attack from the Coalition since the May budget revealed the nation is expecting 1.5 million net migrants to call Australia home over the next five years.Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has accused the government of a “big Australia” policy that would increase cost-of-living pressures.

But the government has rejected the claims,arguing much of the increase is due to a catch-up caused by the border closure. The budget confirmed the nation’s population will be 700,000 smaller by the end of the decade compared to what had been forecast by the Coalition in its 2019 pre-COVID budget.

While net overseas migration surged,the natural increase in the population – births minus deaths – fell by 23.4 per cent on the December quarter of 2021.

In NSW alone,there was a 2500 drop in the natural increase while there was a 38 per cent fall in Western Australia. Victoria defied the trend with a 15 per cent lift.

Nationally,births fell by 4.6 per cent to 300,700 while deaths jumped by 11.1 per cent to a record 190,900.

The biggest increase in deaths in percentage terms occurred in the ACT,up by 16.2 per cent in 2022 compared to the previous year. By number,deaths were highest in NSW,where they jumped by 6533 (11.6 per cent),followed by Victoria (4949) and Queensland (4314).

Cho said COVID-related mortality was the main contributor to both the lift in deaths and the overall fall in the nation’s natural increase in population.

Through 2022,NSW added 138,000 residents,taking its population to 8.2 million. Victoria added a similar number with its population reaching 6.7 million while Queensland is now home to almost 5.4 million residents.

The fastest-growing state last year was WA,with its population up by 2.3 per cent,or 62,700,to 2.8 million.

The figures will be used by the Australian Electoral Commission to determine the number of federal seats in each state. Based on population movements,WA will gain a seat but both Victoria and NSW will lose an electorate in the run-up to the next election. The AEC will officially confirm a start to redistributions in each state next month,which will reduce the number of seats in the House of Representatives to 150.

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