The make-up and aim of Australia’s immigration intake should be explained, a former official says. (Kelly Barnes/AAP PHOTOS)

By Kat Wong in Canberra

Anti-immigrant sentiment has been fuelled by the government’s lack of transparency, a former immigration head says, as Australia reels from mass protests marred by violence.

Tens of thousands of protesters marched alongside neo-Nazis on Sunday in anti-immigration rallies across Australia’s major cities, calling on the federal government to pause or slow the pace of immigration.

Prominent neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell, 32, was among about 40 men dressed in black who stormed Camp Sovereignty on Sunday evening after attending the rally in Melbourne’s CBD.

The 32-year-old was arrested on Tuesday afternoon outside Melbourne Magistrates Court and

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