Discriminatory immigration ruled out: Pyne

The government won't discriminate when it comes to immigration, Defence Minister Christopher Pyne says, ruling out restricting the intake from Muslim countries.

Only one Australian suburb, Lakemba in Sydney, has a population that is more than half Muslim. Source: AAP

The federal government will be sticking to its non-discriminatory immigration policy, Defence Minister Christopher Pyne says.

Mr Pyne's comments come after new polling reveals Australians are split on whether to change the nation's intake of immigrants, particularly those from Muslim countries.

"We have a non-discriminatory policy, that must remain in place," Mr Pyne told Sky News on Monday.

"We don't need to put a handbrake on population growth, we need to manage our population growth sensibly in a country which quite frankly can take a lot more than 25 million people."

Australia doesn't have an immigration target, but rather a ceiling, he added.

Mr Pyne confirmed the government is considering ways to settle new arrivals into regional areas rather than congested major cities.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has recently flagged migrants could be asked to spend five years in a regional area if they want permanent residency.