The population debate is resurfacing across Australia's political spectrum, with the NSW Opposition leader and former prime minister Tony Abbott arguing for a scaled-back migration program to slow the rate of growth.
NSW Labor leader Luke Foley said Sydney’s economic success was the reason one-third of the county’s new migrants were drawn to the city.
"Sydney full of towers is the inevitable consequence of the current very large migrant intake," Mr Foley told 2GB radio.
Last week Mr Foley told the Australian newspaper the country's migrant intake numbers should be "set" or capped five years into the future.
Australia already has a yearly cap on permanent migration, which has been fixed at 190,000 since 2011.
But there is no overall cap on migration that includes temporary visa holders, which include workers and students, who are often later able to apply for permanent visas.
Government data shows Australia's net migration – the number of migrants who arrive minus the number of people who leave – is currently contributing an extra 250,000 to Australia's population every year.
Mr Foley, who is neck-and-neck with the current Liberal premier in recent opinion polls, said the states should be given more input on the national migration rate, given state governments had to deal with the infrastructure challenges of a rising population.
His comments are in line with former Labor premier for NSW Bob Carr, who has advocated a cut in the migration intake for years. Mr Carr told the ABC's Four Corners program on Monday night the future consequences of maintaining the current growth rate could mean restricting access to recreational spaces by erecting fences and turnstiles around Sydney's beaches.
Australia's population is predicted to hit 25 million some time this year.
Cabinet ministers reject Abbott's calls for massive cut
Mr Foley's suggestion comes just weeks after former prime minister turned-backbencher Tony Abbott made headlines urging the Turnbull government to cut the permanent immigration intake from 190,000 per year to 110,000.
"At least until infrastructure, housing stock and integration have better caught up, we simply have to move the overall numbers substantially down," Mr Abbott said last month.
But Treasurer Scott Morrison, who was immigration minister when Mr Abbott was the leader, defended the economic contribution of permanent migrants.
"People who come as skilled migrants pay taxes," he said.
"They actually make a net contribution to the economy."
Mr Morrison also pointed out the permanent intake was "exactly the same" when Mr Abbott was prime minister.
Annual immigration reports show Australia has accepted almost exactly 190,000 permanent migrants every year since 2011. In the most recent year, 2016-17, there was a slight dip to 183,000, despite the cap remaining at 190,000. Tony Abbott was Australia’s prime minister from 2013 to 2015.
Permanent migrants include those on certain skilled work visas, family visas and humanitarian visas for refugees.
