In last week’s budget the Albanese government is claiming they will reduce immigration to 395,000 this year.
Figures from Home Affairs up until February 2024 are as follows:
– Net long term visitor arrivals are 348,557
– Net Short term resident arrival are 147,733
– Short term visitor arrivals are 361,549
– Settler arrivals are 107,269
– Long term resident departure is 92,279
This is a net figure of 872,829
Dwellings built year to date are just 119,000 units.
To put that in perspective, that is a decline of roughly 20% from a decade ago when approximately 150,000 new dwellings were being built in 8 months.
The rise in immigration is not just compounding the demand side of the cost of living, it is compounding the supply side as builders are going out of business due to the high cost of building materials.
Why has Labor never explained why they have increased immigration to such reckless levels under their government?
The rise in immigration has been completely reckless as it is totally unmatched by an increase in supply of dwellings.
Prior to Covid, immigration while still high by historical standards, was mostly matched by the rise in the number of new dwellings of 180,000.
200,000 people plus circa 100,000 natural increase in births would be accommodated by the supply of approximately 180,000 new dwellings.
More at: homeaffairs.gov.au
Senate on 15/05/2024
STATEMENTS BY SENATORS – Migration
Senator RENNICK (Queensland) (13:30): Last night’s budget by the Albanese government again revised its migration forecast up to 395,000 people. This is well underneath the figures that we have already had come into the country this year. As of February, we’ve had net long-term visitor arrivals for the eight months of 348,000; net short-term resident arrivals of 147,000; short-term visitor arrivals of 361,000; and settler arrivals of 107,000. We have had net long-term resident departures of 92,000. All up in the eight months of this year we have had over 800,000 people come into this country, yet the Albanese government wants you to believe that they are going to see net immigration of just 395,000 people this year. This figure is completely unsustainable and completely reckless.
The Albanese government needs to explain why, over the last two years since they have been in government, they have dramatically increased immigration above the supply of new dwellings. A decade ago Australia was building close to 200,000 new dwellings a year. That would accommodate the approximately 200,000 people coming into the country and 100,000 natural increase. The current increase in immigration has been totally unmatched by the supply of new dwellings. Not only have new dwellings failed to keep up with the extra demand, new dwellings are actually now lower. They have actually declined to where they were 10 years ago.
Immigration is too high. I ask you, why aren’t the immigrants being used to actually build the houses? Until such time as the Albanese government can find a house for Australians, they need to lower the immigration rate.
