In this interview, Saxon Davidson appeared on Sharri Sky News Australia to discuss the IPA’s research on immigration.
All media appearances posted onto the IPA website are directly related to the promotion and dissemination of IPA research.
Below is a transcript of the interview.
Steve Price:
Welcome back. I’ve always said immigration is in the top three of issues when we get to a federal election. There was some data out today from the Australian Bureau of Stats. It’s been analysed by the Institute of Public Affairs, and this is what stood out. Australia is adding a new migrant to our country every single minute. Joining me now to dissect those figures is Saxon Davidson, Research Fellow at the IPA.
That figure really whacked me between the eyes today. How did you arrive at that?
Saxon Davidson:
Well, we analysed the stats that came out from the ABS and then analysed that from the most recent financial year, and basically compared that to the government’s promise at the last budget. Now, the government is already over the promise that they made at the last budget by almost 50,000 new migrants, and this is before a extra month, June this year, has been collected. This promise from the government is simply not worth the paper that it was written on, and it shows they have truly no desire to turn off the tap and to let the supply of housing catch up with migrants.
Steve Price:
And I think that that statistic or those numbers from the bureau didn’t even include the last month of migrants. They’ve still got to be added in, don’t they, Saxon?
Saxon Davidson:
No, absolutely they do. And so far, it could get worse. But so far, it’s currently a migrant per minute. That means for every minute you’re spending inspecting a new property or even waiting to inspect a new property, apartment, or house, a new net migrant is being added who will also need property to live in. Currently, the supply of housing is just not catching up to migrants, and the only policy lever available to the federal government considering housing is migration. And it’s a popular lever to pull. 60% of Australians want net migration paused, not just lowered, but paused for the supply of housing to catch up, according to IPA polling.
Steve Price:
I reckon cost of living, energy costs included in that, and the migration question plus the overall green energy argument are the three big issues for the election campaign. I reckon the case on immigration, especially on research like yours, is only going to grow.
Saxon Davidson:
Absolutely. And what this increase in migration has also shown, when you look at economic data, is that the reason the government has no desire to stop migration is because their entire economic plan is reliant on the growth of population figures. 85% of our current economic growth is attributed to the growth in population. When you compare that to when we had proper productivity-driven prime ministers, such as Keating and Hawke and John Howard in the ’90s, it was as low as one third. It actually just lays bare the lack of economic plan that the government has.
Steve Price:
Saxon, absolutely. It says to me that they’re not serious about it. Thank you very much for joining us.
This transcript with Saxon Davidson talking on Sharri Sky News Australia from 17 July 2024 has been edited for clarity.
