"Firstly immigration numbers are lower now than they were under the Lnp"
Are you sure that is the reason for the record number or just part of an overall plan to boost migration?
Today we learned that record numbers of immigrants arrived in Australia in January. The number of arrivals was 125,410 and would have been higher still had some of the Hamas migrants not been turned back. That's for one month only and its a record.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/australian-economy/disaster-dick-smith-blasts-record-january-migrant-intake/news-story/40623094e2e857cb8d9cfef2097b9fc2
You should note that Albo is knocking back student visas in record numbers as part of a crack down on fraud in the sector. In 2023 student visa numbers were only 2% higher than they were in 2019, and their numbers are now falling.
https://www.copyright link/work-and-careers/education/student-visa-hopefuls-getting-knocked-back-at-record-levels-20240124-p5ezpk
