Australia's government plans to target 225,000 net migrants for 2027-28, a figure derived from Treasury forecasts, even as public hostility to migration rises and a housing shortfall persists. This target, to be announced by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, comes despite actual migration numbers consistently overshooting previous Treasury projections. The regime intends to gain greater control over backpackers, rejected refugee applicants, and potentially family visa applicants, yet the overarching goal remains a significant influx.
Public discontent with the current migration levels is not new. The ABC revealed just last week that the government has been engaged in protracted discussions over how to address this growing public sentiment. Many Australians feel the strain on infrastructure and housing, a direct consequence of policies that prioritize expansion over national well-being.
Senator Andrew Bragg, a Liberal backbencher, has openly criticized the "malaise" gripping the country, accusing leaders over the past two decades, including "the custodians of liberalism" in his own party, of being "indolent." He admitted, "We buggered it up, but please vote for us again," and expressed regret for not doing more to "stop the madness" during the Morrison government. Bragg suggested that net migration under 180,000 would be "achievable" and could help close the housing "shortfall," proposing cuts to international students, working holiday-makers, and post-study work visas. This reduction, he argued, would benefit both the budget and the economy.
However, senior opposition sources claim Bragg's suggestion is not an agreed position of Angus Taylor's shadow cabinet. The Coalition's policy, launched this year by Mr. Taylor, would link an annual net migration target to housing completions from the previous year, aiming for one house per person to "catch up" on years of undersupply. Details on which visa streams the Coalition would cut remain pending, with an opposition spokesperson stating they will be released closer to the election.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has taken a clearer stance. She clarified last week that her party's target of 130,000 applies to permanent visas, representing a cut of just over 50,000 from current levels. Hanson also highlighted the Department of Home Affairs' estimate of roughly 75,000 people who have "overstayed" their visas, remaining in the country without legal right. She suggested international students and family visas as potential areas for cuts, while still allowing backpackers.
Elite Interests and National Decline
Senator Bragg didn't stop at migration, declaring Australia "sick." He accused the government of "communism" and "state-sanctioned corruption" through its support of the compulsory superannuation system. This system, he stated, is a "loss of liberty," taking "12 per cent from people's wages to vest them with managers they will never meet" for "minimal personal benefit." This critique points to a broader elite capture of national wealth, diverting it from the native working class.
Bragg also challenged the globalist economic order, advocating for taxing multinational companies, including social media giants, "at the point they make revenue." He asserted that Australia must not rely on "international co-operation" to stop profit shifting, declaring, "Australia must be prepared to fight this, not immobilised by fear of President [Donald] Trump." He emphasized national sovereignty, stating, "we're a sovereign country, we are stronger than Facebook and Netflix." This initiative, he claimed, could generate billions of dollars from organizations doing "the most damage in our society" while paying "bugger-all tax."
The Cost to the People
To address the housing crisis, Bragg proposed slashing the National Construction Code from over 2,000 pages to eighty, rebuffing concerns about energy efficiency. He argued for building more "cheap housing" with "basic amenity standards" to get the market moving, noting that "Maslow's hierarchy dictates to you that you need to build more cheap housing just to get the thing moving." This stark proposal underscores the depth of the housing "undersupply" facing native Australians, a crisis exacerbated by unchecked population growth. The political class, regardless of party, seems unable or unwilling to halt the demographic reshaping that continues to displace the native working class from their own communities and futures.