Shadow immigration minister Dan Tehan claims the Albanese government has “no plan” when it comes to addressing immigration and housing issues in Australia.
Rising home prices and a growing shortage of supply across the nation has led to calls for migration to be cut after the number of migrants entering Australia reached an all-time high.
The Albanese government announced plans last month to reduce migration back to “sustainable levels” in a bid to ease the housing crisis.
However the proposed reforms have sparked further debate around the lack of skilled migrants who are needed to meet housing and infrastructure targets.
Mr Tehan reiterated the importance of having enough houses on the ground to cater for the half a million people coming in each year.
“I think the reality on the ground is something different, when you’re bringing in half a million people a year, we’ve never seen the like of that before in our nation, and you’re seeing housing at record low levels,” he said.
“You have to make sure that you have got the houses to put these people in, where are the half a million going to live? That’s the questions that’s asked of me every time.
“It’s not only where do you house them, it’s what the impact is having on rents, your ability to see the GP, congestion issues.”
The Albanese government unveiled plans last month to fix Australia’s “broken” migration system, in what was described as the “final piece” in a three phase approach to building a “sustainable Australia.”
“What we know is that we need to have a migration system that enables Australia to get the skills that we need, but make sure the system is working in the interests of all Australians,” the Prime Minister said.
But reduced migration levels could weigh on Labor’s initiative plan to build 1.2 million homes over four years via the Housing Australia Future Fund.
When asked what could be done to get the balance right, Mr Tehan argued the Albanese government should be targeting tradespeople.
“The type of skilled migration the Albanese government has been targeting seems to be anything else but plumbers, and carpenters and builders…they can’t even get that right.
(SKY NEWS)
