Nationals MPs split with David Littleproud over whether regional Australia should lose migrants

The Nats split comes as Steven Miles broke ranks with Jim Chalmers, declaring Queensland’s high level of migration was a central reason not enough homes were available.

Nationals leader David Littleproud in question time. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Nationals MPs have split from their leader, David Littleproud, to say there will need to be cuts to migrants in the regions to achieve a net overseas migration rate of 160,000, and Australians “living under bridges” should be given priority.

The tussle in the junior ­Coalition party came as Queensland’s Labor Premier, Steven Miles, broke ranks with Jim Chalmers, declaring his state’s high level of migration was a central reason that not enough homes were available for Queenslanders.

Mr Miles endorsed Peter Dutton’s assertion that cutting migration would help ease the housing crisis, a day after the Treasurer said it would help “at the margins at best”.

“You’ll actually note that Peter Dutton has said what I said first, and that is that the level of migration we’re experiencing in Queensland is putting too much pressure on our housing system.

“ So I welcome Peter Dutton echoing my comments,” Mr Miles said. “At the moment, we have a population that is increasing at roughly twice the rate that the Queensland construction sector can build houses. That is leaving us with a shortfall of roughly 27,000 houses every year.

“We have a plan to build homes for Queenslanders, but that plan needs time to deliver the houses, it needs time to catch up.”

Migration cuts have dominated the post-budget political debate, with Labor wanting to halve net overseas migration to 260,000 next financial year while the ­Coalition says it plans to reach 160,000.

Labor will reduce the permanent migration intake from 190,000 to 185,000 in 2024-25; the Coalition says it should be set at 140,000 for two years before increasing to 160,000.

Mr Littleproud on Sunday said it was important the Coalition didn’t take international students away from the regions to achieve its steeper migration cuts and vowed to reinstate the agriculture visa and extend the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme.

Three Queensland Nationals MPs – Keith Pitt, Colin Boyce and Matthew Canavan – said there would inevitably be cuts to ­migrants in the regions if a future Coalition government prioritised finding homes for Australians.

“I’ve got a whole heap of people living under bridges and in tents by the side of the river and they needs to be our priority; it’s not their fault the Labor Party brought in so many immigrants,” Mr Pitt said. “We’ve got to find somewhere for them to live. Whatever it takes.”

Senator Canavan added: “We’ve got massive housing problems here and they have to be dealt with before we can grow our population more. Growth takes time, cuts can happen overnight and we’ve got a problem today.”

Mr Boyce said the regions shouldn’t be protected from migration cuts. “I’d say a cut in immigration would definitely affect regional and rural Australia and I’m not aware of any priorities given to regions in respect to a general overall policy,” he said.

The major parties are doubling down on their migration targets, with Mr Dutton insisting there would still be “enormous economic growth” under his proposal while Anthony Albanese accused the Opposition Leader of putting forward a “vibe” instead of a ­policy.

“They’ve got no real plan, have they?” the Prime Minister told ABC radio.

“They don’t have any modelling of what the impact on the economy will be.”

After Dr Chalmers said Mr Dutton’s policy would cost the economy billions of dollars, the Liberal leader retaliated: “If the Treasurer is saying that the economy can only function with migration numbers at a historic high, and that the price of that is people not being able to find a home, then I don’t sign up to Jim Chalmers’ form of voodoo economics.”