Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the following matter be referred to the Economics References Committee for inquiry and report by 1 May 2026:

The impact of high immigration levels on the Australian economy, with particular reference to:

(a) home prices, rental prices and rental vacancy rates;

(b) the wage price index;

(c) the inflation rate;

(d) labour productivity growth;

(e) the accuracy of government projections on immigration numbers; and

(f) any other related matters.

This is a motion without emotion. One Nation is proposing an inquiry into the impact of high, mass immigration levels on the Australian economy. We just want the pure facts and the data to be communicated to the Australian public—no labels, no smears, just data and facts. We love data. Over the weekend, tens of thousands of Australians marched, asking for an answer on this question: what is the cost of adding millions of people to Australia's population in just a few short years? That is their question. I will repeat it. What is the cost of adding millions of people to Australia's population in just a few short years?

If the data shows that immigration is our strength, then let the Australian people see for themselves. Let those cards fall where they may. I can guarantee what you'll hear from the Greens and Labor on this sensible inquiry. I could almost write their speeches for them; they are so predictable. If you have a question about whether allowing around 2.4 million new arrivals into the country over four years has an impact on the country, that's a question. If you wonder whether that has an impact on our schools, our rent prices, the congestion on our roads, the healthcare system and our house prices, guess what? The Greens and Labor say that asking those questions makes you a racist and a Neo-Nazi worthy of slurs, smears and labels.

The Greens say that asking whether having 2.9 million temporary visa holders in the country right now, taking up to one million homes, is 100 per cent in our country's interest makes you a racist and a Neo-Nazi. Welcome to millions of Australians that you're tagging as racist Neo-Nazis. The Greens and Labor are lying. They are scared of the conversation because the facts are devastating. The Greens and Labor try to shut down the conversations, smearing everyone as a racist, a Neo-Nazi, a xenophobe. Every time you hear Labor, the Greens and even some Liberals trying to shut down this conversation, calling anyone who loves this country a racist, remember what we're actually voting on here.

This is what my motion proposes. I have moved that the following matter be referred to the Economics References Committee for inquiry and report by 1 May 2026. The terms of reference specify:

The impact of high immigration levels on the Australian economy, with particular reference to:

(a) home prices, rental prices and rental vacancy rates;

(b) the wage price index;

(c) the inflation rate;

(d) labour productivity growth;

(e) the accuracy of government projections on immigration numbers; and

(f) any other related matters.

That's it—no emotion, no judgements. We just want the facts and figures so the public is informed. I'll read that again—the scope:

The impact of high immigration levels on the Australian economy, with particular reference to—

six specified factors. If you want to argue for the current program of mass immigration, show us your data. I say to the Greens and Labor: prove to the Australian people that having millions upon millions of extra people in the country in the middle of a housing crisis and a cost-of-living crisis is justified, is necessary and makes sense.

Calling tens of thousands of Australians—who came out and marched for our living standards and to ensure that we hand on a better country to our children—'racist' is a disgraceful slur. I'll say that again: calling tens of thousands of Australians—who came out and marched for our living standards and to ensure that we hand on a better country to our children—'racist' is a disgraceful slur. Every senator in this chamber should be ashamed to repeat it. Yet you will.

Let's have a look at terms of reference (a) home prices, rental prices and vacancy rates. This motion is purely about the numbers. That's it. Let's look at the numbers. We know from Home Affairs data that, excluding the 300,000-plus tourists and crew, there are 2.9 million temporary migrants in the country right now, known as temporary visa holders—more than 10 per cent of our population. This excludes millions of permanent visa holders, or permanent residents, as they are known. The Bureau of Statistics says that the average household size in Australia is 2½ people per dwelling. That means, on average data, the temporary migrants in this country could be taking up to one million houses in Australia.

Let's have a think about the effect that might be having on the rental market. As of July, there are just 38,000 rental vacancies in the entire country. The national rental vacancy rate is at just 1.2 per cent, massively under the three per cent rate that's considered healthy—less than half. In Brisbane the rental vacancy rate is 0.9 per cent, in Perth it's 0.7 per cent, in Adelaide it's 0.8 per cent, in Darwin it's 0.5 per cent and in Hobart it's 0.6 per cent. There's a demonstrable and strong link between the rate of non-permanent migrants and rent increases. I can provide the reference if you need it. If your rent has gone up in the last four years, as the mass migration program continued, there are 2.9 million reasons why. Again, I call on Labor and the Greens: if you have data to debate these numbers, put them forward at the inquiry. Don't just label or slur everyone; deal with the facts. I know it's not easy for you, but deal with the facts.

Regarding the wage price index, the impact of high immigration is felt on the employment market. Extra retail spending from new arrivals increases employment in the retail sector, partially offsetting the job loss from online sales, which are increasingly being fulfilled through regional fulfilment centres using a high degree of automation. Since the Albanese government was elected, real household per capita spending has fallen by eight points. Australian households have less—a hell of a lot less. Are we dividing the national pie into smaller and smaller pieces because the economy cannot grow as fast as our population is? The data suggests this is the case. Let's find out.

The bad news in this picture is that immigrants provide a pool of labour. They are happy to take an ABN—an Australian Business Number—and work fee-for-service, often meaning low fees and low service. This undermines employment conditions and award wages that have protected everyday Australians for generations. This is apparently okay with the unions, who never question the erosion of wages coming from a large influx of new arrivals into the labour market—the former party of the worker. The evidence for this statement is found in the increase in ABNs during the Albanese government, with hundreds of thousands of new ABNs issued to new arrivals. These people—