Australia’s migration intake has exploded to double pre-pandemic levels, sparking fresh warnings it is driving up house prices and rents, straining services and deepening the nation’s economic squeeze.

New figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed there were 110,062 new arrivals over the March quarter – the equivalent of 1223 people every single day and almost 500,000 per year.

Migration accounted for three-quarters of population growth, the ABS figures revealed.

Intake over the March quarter was double the pre-pandemic quarterly average of 55,036 recorded from March 2010 to March 2020.

Critics warn the intake is overwhelming housing supply, worsening rental shortages and fuelling record property prices, while also placing unsustainable pressure on infrastructure a

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