Palestinian children play in rubble in Gaza (Image: ABACA/Khames Alrefi)
Palestinian children play in rubble in Gaza (Image: ABACA/Khames Alrefi)

POPULATION SLOWING

The government’s efforts to slow migration are starting to work, according to The Age, with Australian Bureau of Statistics numbers showing the largest quarterly fall since the start of the pandemic. Over the past year, net migration has dropped by 12%, after it rose 26% from 2022 to 2023. Australia’s population is just shy of 27 million — though that will likely slow down too as the birth rate continues to drop, with the country experiencing its lowest level of natural population growth since 1981. International students are primarily the ones bearing the brunt of stricter visa rules, reports the