Jeff Kennett: It’s time to pause immigration for two years

For some years Australia has been accepting people from overseas well beyond our ability to meet their needs, let alone the needs of people already here, and Melbourne is now full.

Off to the polls we go!

I have detected two policy points of difference between the major parties.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton announced in his budget reply that if successful on May 3rd his government would reduce the number of immigrants coming into the country.

As yet I have no idea of how the details of this commitment might work.

So let me offer a suggestion, acknowledging that cost of living, “the economy stupid”, will be the major factor influencing how people will vote.

For some years now Australia has been accepting people from overseas well beyond our ability to meet their needs, let alone the needs of people already here.

As the Herald Sun reported last Friday, Melbourne has recorded the highest growth of population of any capital city – 142,600 new residents in the year ended 2024.

Melbourne’s total population is now reaching 5,350,700.

In one sense, Melbourne is full.

Melbourne has recorded the highest growth of population of any capital city. Picture: Ian Currie

We can’t and have not been able to meet the demand for housing for some years, for a range of reasons, but one being the demand is growing beyond our capacity to supply.

So having been a great supporter of immigration, and recognising what waves of immigrants have brought to the country, and the opportunities they created for all of us, I want to pause generalised immigration for two years.

With a few exceptions.

I would encourage qualified nurses, general practitioners, teachers and tradesmen and women to enter Australia.

I would further allow overseas students to enter Australia as long as they undertook courses for which there is a national shortage, and on the condition that they then spend time in Australia practising their profession or trade.

I know if you dramatically reduce our immigration rate that will have some adverse effect on our economy, particularly as a result of the demand new arrivals create, but we should recognise we have been overly generous in the numbers of arrivals we have allowed into Australia.

But Australia should be addressing our needs first.

Access to housing is so important to form a base for security and growth.

I am not saying stop immigration.

I am saying substantially reduce the overall numbers, and be very targeted with those we do welcome.

For instance, our hospitals would simply not be able to provide the high quality of care without the increasing numbers of qualified nurses who are now employed from every corner of the world.

Talk to communities in regional and rural Australia, and they are desperately short of doctors.

And in terms of trades people, just look around you. Governments have employed the majority of those on these massive infrastructure projects leaving critical shortages of all trades to maintain services and build accommodation.

I do not want to stop immigration, but I do want it to work for us, for Australians, for the next two years, then review the impact and make a decision maybe for the next five years.

Part of my motivation for this suggestion is for the opportunities of our youth.

If political parties accepted responsibilities for the dignified needs of their ageing community but gave priority to the needs and aspirations of the young, society would be substantially better off.

For it should be the young as they progress through life who will create the ideas and generate wealth for society as a whole.

They are entitled to the same opportunities as previous generations, and that is simply not the case today.

Peter Dutton will scrap ­Anthony Albanese’s commitment of $2.2bn to the Suburban Rail Loop if he is elected. Picture: Thomas Lisson

Access to housing is so important to form a base for security and growth. Pausing the number of new Australians will help to deliver more housing.

The second major election difference is that the Labor Party has committed $2.2bn to the Victorian government for the white elephant Suburban Rail Loop.

Further, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week did not rule out providing more funds for this Andrews/Allan project.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton on Monday indicated not only would he not hand over the $2.2bn (if it has not already been transferred) but he would not advance any more funds.

Thank goodness. This is our money, going into the sink hole that has been a Labor pet project without a supporting business plan, which is led by former Labor politicians, at the real expense of maintaining the state’s services and maintaining our roads.

For no other reason, every Victorian should vote against Labor federally for continuing to fund this project.

Dutton said he would use some of the money to build the rail link to the airport. Not a bad idea, but in the short term I would rather he allocate the first $2.2bn to repairing our roads. Either allocate the money to councils based on a need’s basis, but do not give it to the state government to spend as most of it would be wasted, lost or used for other projects.

Have a good day.

Jeff Kennett is a former Premier of Victoria