Opposition Leader says immigration intake needs to slow down to fix housing crisis

NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman has demanded an ‘immediate slowdown’ of immigration levels to ease the NSW housing crisis. Do you agree? Tell us what you think.

Liberal leader Mark Speakman has demanded an “immediate slowdown” of immigration levels to allow states like NSW to “catch up” with housing, saying it was time for the government to be “honest” with voters.

With housing affordability and availability affected by both supply and demand, the Cronulla MP accused the Minns government of focusing only on supply.

While stating that he supported more housing, Mr Speakman said a conversation was needed about the level of immigration the state could sustain, and called on Premier Chris Minns to work with the Coalition to work out an “agreed position” on migrant numbers to put to the Albanese government.

“NSW has signed up to extraordinarily ambitious housing targets while Australia faces record migration levels,” Mr Speakman said. “If we’re going to be honest with the people of NSW in reducing pressure on rents and improving access to home ownership, we need to have a conversation about what immigration levels our state can sustain.

“Chris Minns says he wants a bipartisan approach to housing affordability, so we’re offering to work with him quickly to settle an agreed position on immigration numbers and composition to put to the federal government.”

Opposition Leader Mark Speakman wants a discussion about how high levels of immigration are contributing to the housing crisis.

The comments are a turnaround from Mr Speakman’s earlier position, when it was reported he believed Australia risked “invasion” unless its population kept growing.

Net overseas migration will be around 375,000 this financial year, following about 490,000 last financial year.

This compares with an average of 248,000 in each of the three years prior to the pandemic.

“Housing affordability and availability are products of supply and demand,” Mr Speakman said.

“While immigration has enriched our society and strengthened economic growth, the record pace is vastly outstripping our ability to keep up with housing.”

The Minns government is trying to meet an ambitious target of 75,000 new homes each year to bring the state’s housing crisis under control.

However, Mr Speakman pointed to the government’s own budget papers, which stated the demand for housing had “intensified due to the sharp increase in overseas migration”.

Mr Speakman said the Opposition supported “increased ambition” for housing supply – and hinted at having “more to say” once it had received and considered the Minns government’s “publicly offered briefing” on its “yet to be announced” housing policy.

“However, in the meantime, it emerges from Budget Estimates hearings that when the state government signed up to a NSW target of 377,000 new dwellings over five years, it had no advice from its own Department of Planning as to whether that was achievable,” Mr Speakman said.

“An immediate slowing down of immigration levels … could make a much faster difference.”

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