With 2.3 million new visa holders in Australia this year (excluding tourists) it’s no wonder we have a rental crisis. We need to stem the immigration tidal wave to a gentle ebb and flow of replacement. For everyone who leaves, someone new arrives. Net Zero migrants makes sense until we have sufficient housing, essential services and infrastructure to cope with more people.
Housing is tight and therefore expensive. It’s impossible to build enough houses or freeze enough prices to fix the housing problem until this immigration tidal wave is cut.
Instead of putting banks and big business first, let’s put people first.
Transcript
We agree with part of this Greens matter of urgency—that we are in a rental crisis, with more people experiencing rental stress and unable to afford a home due to Labor government policies and deceit. We disagree on how to fix it. There’s absolutely nothing that can be done to fix the housing and rental crisis until we cut the absolutely insane numbers of overseas arrivals this government is letting into our country. Excluding tourists and short-stay visa holders, there are 2.3 million visa holders in the country right now. Every single one of them needs a roof over their head, and that’s leading to record house prices and the lowest rental vacancy rate in history. Housing is tight and therefore expensive. It’s impossible to build enough houses or freeze enough prices to fix the housing problem until this immigration tidal wave is cut. What the Greens propose is going to increase rental costs. Instead of putting banks and big business first, put people first.
The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT (Senator McGrath): Thank you, Senator Roberts. Senator Allman-Payne.
Agreed! Common sense always so refreshing
The causes of the housing crisis is largely one of inadequate release of land by governments. Plus, individual blocks are no longer released to individuals to organise their own builds. Instead, large parcels of land are released to `developers.’ I am reliably informed that in the latter case some developments are delayed, maybe for years, over how many apartments may be made available as `special’ allocations to interested parties.
It’s not rocket science- we cannot house the people already living in Australia. For the government to allow more immigration, knowing we have no houses, is just absurd!!
Where has the common sense gone??