Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has slammed the massive migration boost outlined in the federal Budget and questioned how Australia will accommodate an additional 1.5million migrants in just five years.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ financial statement forecast the country will take in 1.495million new migrants over five years, including a record 400,000 in the current 2022-23 financial year and 315,000 in 2023-24.
Mr Dutton kicked off Question Time in the House of Representatives on Wednesday by asking how much thought had gone in to the migration policy.
‘We all support planned migration, but your Budget announcement to bring in 1.5million people over this five-year period, more than the entire population of Adelaide, has no plan,’ he said as MPs shouted and jeered.
‘Every city is already congested.’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese jumped to Dr Chalmers’ defence, slamming the Opposition for ‘hypocrisy which knows no bounds’
Mr Dutton noted infrastructure spending had been cut and there appeared to be ‘no plan on where these people would live during a housing and rental crisis’.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese jumped to Dr Chalmers’ defence, slamming the Opposition for ‘hypocrisy which knows no bounds’.
Mr Albanese recalled two statements Mr Dutton made back in September and October 2022, in which he said ‘we need migration’.
The Opposition Leader said the difference was the amount of migrants expected to arrive in Australia over the next five years.
The nation’s population is still tipped to swell from 26.5million to 28.172milion over that time period.
The population growth pace of 1.7 per cent during this upcoming financial year will be among the highest in the developed world.
Population growth will have consequences – with unemployment already at a 48-year low of 3.5 per cent and bosses struggling to recruit staff.
Mr Dutton noted infrastructure spending had been cut and there appeared to be ‘no plan on where these people would live during a housing and rental crisis’
What the Budget said about population boost
From the next financial year, Australia’s net overseas migration level – based on permanent and long-term arrivals minus departures – is predicted to settle back to 260,000 every year.
NSW is expected to see its population surge by 434,000 from 8.3million in 2022-23 to 8.734million in 2026-27, based mainly on foreign arrivals.
As a big influx of new skilled migrants and international students moved in, 30,100 people were expected to leave the state for another part of Australia during this financial year, adding up to 124,100 interstate departures over five years.
Sydney’s median house price of $1.25million is already the second most expensive in the world, after Hong Kong when compared with incomes, CoreLogic and Demographia data shows.
Queensland by comparison was expected to see 114,900 move to the Sunshine State from other parts of Australia between 2022-23 and 2026-27. Brisbane’s mid-point house price of $781,881 is much more affordable than Sydney or Melbourne.
The Sunshine State’s population was predicted to grow by 341,000 in five years, from 5.441million to 5.782million.
Victoria’s population was tipped to surge by 534,000 from 6.78million to 7.314million in a state where Melbourne houses typically cost $907,220.
Australia’s second most populated state was expected to see 2,000 leave in 2022-23 for another state, but growth in every other year meant 8,400 new residents would come from interstate by 2026-27.
Mining-rich Western Australia’s population was predicted to grow by 183,000 over five years to 3.030million, from 2.847million, with just 8,000 of that from interstate migration in a state where Perth’s median house price is $599,240.
Mr Dutton kicked off Question Time in the House of Representatives on Wednesday by questioning how much thought had gone in to the migration policy
South Australia, however, was expected to see 13,000 residents leave by 2026-27 for another state. Adelaide has a mid-point house price of $697,909.
The population was still forecast to grow by 78,000 over five years to 1.927million from 1.849million, based on overseas migration.
Tasmania’s population was tipped to grow by 29,000 by 2026-27 to 607,000 from 578,000, as 3,500 moved from interstate in the island state where Hobart houses cost $692,341.
The Australian Capital Territory, covering Canberra where houses typically cost $946,463, was expected to see its population grow by 39,000 over five years, to 505,000 from 466,000, as 3,500 people moved from interstate.
The Northern Territory’s population was expected to grow by just 16,000, to 270,000 from 254,000, as 4,400 people moved interstate over five years despite Darwin having the most affordable house price of $573,534.
Australia’s population surpassed the 25million milestone in 2018 – 24 years earlier than forecast in Treasury’s 2002 Intergenerational Report.
It last year passed the 26million level, after the population in 2020 shrunk for the first time since 1916, during World War I, as a result of the pandemic border closure.
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