As people filled the streets across major cities at the weekend’s March for Australia protests, a couple of common themes and demands were raised when it came to national migration levels.

Many protesters said it’s time to “send them back”, which was jarring to hear in a nation that is literally built on migration, while others promoted a five-year pause on immigration.

Protesters wave flags as they march against immigration.Credit: Max Mason-Hubers

It’s unclear whether any of those parroting these lines actually put their mind to the economic implications of their calls, or bothered to look at the numbers underlying our population growth. It was more Dennis “the vibe” Denuto than Temperance “Bones” Brennan.

Because while freezing migration levels or loading up outward-bound planes with fresh migrants might sound good to some when heard in a chant or read on a placard, as an economic policy, it’s a shocker.

The argument for a pause is that the country needs a breather from the sharp lift in net overseas migration that’s occurred in recent years. Between 2019 and 2024, 1.364 million migrants – in net terms – made Australia home. That figure includes the early stages of COVID when, for the first time since the end of World War II, there was an outflow of net migrants. It’s also worth noting that the government is predicting the rate of net overseas migration will ease over coming years (it has already begun to slow, despite what some shock........

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