According to government figures, Australia has welcomed 1,898,096 permanent migrants in just the past decade. That is almost two million new arrivals, at a time when housing availability has reached a crisis point and homelessness is rising in communities across the country.
The Federal Government sets a “migration ceiling” each year, and despite ongoing debate about housing shortages, rents climbing to record highs, and first homebuyers being locked out of the market, the ceilings remain staggeringly high. For 2023–24 alone, the target was 190,000 permanent visas, with similar numbers projected for 2024–25 and 2025–26.
Who is driving this?
While policymakers insist that high migration is necessary to fill skills shortages, the question has to be asked: who really wins in this scenario? For many Australians struggling to find a rental or secure their first home, it’s clear they are not the winners.
The obvious beneficiaries are real estate agents and property investors, who thrive on inflated demand and record prices. But they are not alone. Businesses in general also benefit from a crowded labour market. More workers chasing the same jobs keeps wages low, which is a gift to unscrupulous entrepreneurs who would rather pad their profits than pay fair salaries.
A housing system under siege
With nearly two million permanent migrants added in 10 years, the numbers speak for themselves. This is not about where people come from — it’s about whether the system can support them, and whether ordinary Australians are paying the price for decisions designed to feed the profits of property agents and employers.
No one wins when tents appear in our suburbs, when young people are forced to live with parents indefinitely, or when essential workers can’t afford to live anywhere near their jobs.
Rejecting hate, rejecting scapegoats
It must also be said: this debate has been hijacked by dangerous extremists. The sight of Fascists and Nazis waving flags at recent rallies across Australia is disgusting. These people do not represent mainstream concerns about housing and wages. They poison genuine debate with their hate-filled agenda.
We must separate criticism of policy from vilification of people. Migrants are not the enemy — poor planning, exploitative employers, and a housing system stacked in favour of profiteers are the real culprits.
Learning from overseas
Look at the United States under Trump: migrants were scapegoated for every problem, brutal policies were enforced at the southern border, and yet housing affordability and inequality only worsened. Australia does not even have a common border like the US. Our challenge is different, and so must be our solutions.
The real issue
Criticising the numbers is not an attack on migrants. People who come here are often just looking for the same thing as anyone else — security, work, and a future. The issue lies with the policies that ignore housing realities, suppress wages, and allow big business and the property industry to celebrate while families sleep rough.
If we are serious about solving the housing and wage crisis, the government must stop using migration as a lever to inflate the economy on paper while ignoring the lived reality in our communities. Until then, the winners will remain the same: real estate agents, exploitative employers, and investors cashing in on a broken system.
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