Tyron Whitten (WA, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister representing the Treasurer, Minister Gallagher. Does Labor accept that record immigration has outpaced investment in Australia and is driving declining productivity rates?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Could I ask that the question be repeated? I missed the second part of it, sorry.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Absolutely. Senator Whitten, just repeat the whole question, because it was pretty short.

Tyron Whitten (WA, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does Labor accept that record immigration has outpaced investment in Australia and is driving declining productivity rates?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Whitten for the question. For as long as I can remember, we've been a country that has welcomed—and, in fact, supported—overseas migration and immigration into Australia, and that has had very positive benefits for our community and our economy.

I think if Senator Whitten is linking investment in infrastructure or investment in housing—I'm not quite sure what element of investment Senator Whitten is concerned about—but I certainly accept that, for state and territory governments, investment in infrastructure for growing cities is a challenge. I wouldn't link it to overseas migration numbers. We have seen a big, significant pull forward, Senator Whitten, in response to the borders being closed, and some of that has been people who have been staying here, not leaving.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Gallagher, please resume your seat. Senator Roberts?

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

Point of order: the question was really simple, as Senator Gallagher said in the first place. We want to know the link between immigration and productivity—that's it.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was me who, indeed, said the question was simple; I meant it was short. You also linked it to investment, so I think the minister is being directly relevant to the question.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The productivity challenge across Australia has been a challenge for some time. In fact, as we've said in this place, the worst decade was actually under the coalition government.

Senator Ruston interjecting—

Yes, I do understand—thank you, Senator Ruston—I understand completely. The productivity challenge is broader. There are broad reasons underpinning the productivity challenge, and indeed productivity challenges in Australia are comparable and similar to the challenges that are being experienced by like-minded economies around the world. Thank you for your help, Senator Ruston.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Whitten, first supplementary?

Tyron Whitten (WA, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the past 10 years, the only time the productivity rates increased were the COVID years. These were the only years to have net overseas migration of less than 200,000 people in the last decade. Why does Labor deny the direct correlation between immigration and poor productivity?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said, the issues around productivity—which are issues that we discussed at length at the roundtable last week—are not linked to the numbers coming through our immigration system, so I don't think it's correct to link the two. There has been slow productivity growth for decades in this country. It is multifaceted—why that is the case—and that is why this government is working across community, industry, business, unions and others to look at how we can all work together to improve productivity in this country. That includes doing things around skills and training. It includes things like finishing the NBN, abolishing tariffs, ensuring we have good jobs growth in the future made in Australia and a whole range of other things that we are undertaking. But we are not looking at changes to net overseas migration. (Time expired)

Tyron Whitten (WA, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is a glaringly obvious connection between mass immigration and collapsing productivity. Our infrastructure and housing are buckling under the pressure of Labor's mass-migration program. What are you going to tell Australians who are living in tents, in cars, in the street, while housing is given to immigrants and refugees? What do you say to the people of Western Australia, who have seen the biggest jumps in housing prices in the whole country? The people deserve answers; they deserve better.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I certainly—and those over this side—don't associate with the imputations contained in your question, Senator Whitten. We don't believe that you advance anything in this country by pitting one group against another. This government has a very different approach, which is to work across the community, to work with industry and to work with the states and territories where we can to find areas where we can continue to progress improvements in productivity but also support areas of shared consensus. So we are looking at things like the single national market, simplified trade and reform tariffs—and this goes to your question about what we are doing—better regulation and how to speed up approvals. Of course, there's all the work we're doing in housing. We need to build more housing. There was not enough housing built. We had 10 years of those opposite doing nothing in housing. We are fixing that.