New push for Anthony Albanese to follow in the UK's lead and restrict immigration numbers
Ben Fordham has urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to follow in the steps of the UK and restrict the number of migrants entering Australia.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK risks 'becoming an island of strangers' as his government unveiled a series of policies aimed at reducing immigration numbers.
The proposed laws would require foreign nationals' to wait for 10 years instead of five to apply for settlement, English language requirements tightened for immigrants and the qualifications required for those applying for a skilled work visa expanded.
Last year, the UK absorbed 1.2million migrants, while in the 2023-24 financial year Australian took in 670,000 immigrants.
'Twenty-five years ago there were more babies born in Australia than migrants arriving in Australia. Now it's four to one the other way,' Fordham said.
'That's a big shift. If you compare our population growth to the rest of the world, Australia's is off the charts.
Fordham said Mr Albanese needed to make good on his promise to reduce immigration numbers amid Australia's worsening housing crisis.
'He promised he'd bring the numbers down. Well, we will hold him to that. We're in the middle of a housing crisis and yet we're taking in almost two thousand people per day. It is not unreasonable to say "slow down",' he said.
Fordham then took aim at one of Australia's richest people, Harry Triguboff, who he accused of encouraging high immigration in order to fill his own pockets.
'The billionaire property developer Harry Triguboff says we need more migration,' the radio host told listeners.
'Mr Triguboff believes Australia's population will grow to 55million by 2050, but he says if he had it his way it would be 100million.
'Harry just wants to sell more apartments.'
Mr Triguboff told Mark Bouris' podcast Straight Talk last year: 'We need more immigration, because if we have no migrants, it's very, very difficult [to build]'.
Australia's fourth-richest person warned the country would collapse due to an aging population unless immigration levels were increase and advocated for a diverse immigration policy that welcomes migrants from a wide range of backgrounds.
'Life is difficult in so much of the world that everybody would love to come here. Not to destroy us, they just want to come to live here. It's a good place to live,' he said.
Immigration levels in Australia reached record-high numbers in late 2023 when close to 550,000 foreigners arrived in the country.
The Treasury Budget papers forecast net overseas migration falling to 335,000 in 2024-25, before dropping to 260,000 in 2025-26.
Treasury in the May 2024 Budget had underestimated population growth, and in December, revised its forecasts for this financial year, to have 340,000 migrants moving in - as opposed to 260,000 predicted just seven months earlier.
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