Thousands march across Sydney Harbour Bridge in one of biggest protests in city's history
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Daily Mail
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Pauline Hanson claims International students are taking Aussie jobs and dodging tax
has slammed the Albanese Government for boosting international student numbers, claiming many are working cash-in-hand, dodging tax, and taking jobs from everyday Australians. Labor will raise the 2026 cap to 295,000 international student places, 25,000 more than flagged for 2025, despite warnings the system is being abused. Critics, including Hanson and former Treasury economist Leith Van Onselen, say the student visa scheme is no longer about education, but about cheap labour and permanent migration. The Albanese Government brushed off mounting criticism and said it would work with universities to boost the availability of student accommodation. 'International education is an incredibly important export industry for Australia, but we need to manage its growth so it's sustainable,' education minister Jason Clare said. But Hanson says the student visa system is a racket. 'Many of these people are taking jobs that should be held by Australians – often for under-the-table cash, which is then sent home. 'The Institute of Public Affairs showed that foreign students earned $15.4 billion in Australia through part-time work in 2023, with more than $10.5 billion of it being sent back overseas. 'This puts a huge dent in the claim this "industry" is worth almost $50 billion a year to the national economy – it isn't. Hanson said any foreign student found not to be paying tax should have their visa cancelled, 'and should be thrown on the next flight back to their home'. She said Australian universities are classified as not-for-profit institutions. 'This status enables them to avoid paying tax on the upfront fees foreign students pay them, and to which they have become addicted like meth junkies. 'Australian taxpayers are being ripped off by the 'international student' racket.' In the year to May, 794,113 international students were enrolled in education across the country, with education now Australia's biggest services export and the fourth-biggest export after iron ore, coal, and natural gas. While China still leads in international student numbers at 167,147, India and Nepal have seen significant increases, moving into second and third spots with 123,456 and 57,048 students, respectively. Leith Van Onselen, a former Treasury economist, highlighted a survey by Allianz Partners Australia that found 68.4 per cent of international students plan to stay in Australia long-term. 'Students from South Asia and Africa choose a study destination based on their capacity to gain job rights, a low-cost course, and permanent residency,' Mr Van Onselen said. 'With the exception of students from China and Europe, all source nations placed a high value on the potential to work while studying and post-study employment opportunities. 'It should be no surprise, then, that Australia has witnessed the greatest increase in student numbers from nations that rely on paid employment. 'Indian students and migration agents celebrated Labor's federal election victory because they know that it means easier entry into Australia. 'Australia's policymakers and media should drop the charade and acknowledge that international education is an immigration racket.' A new Reserve Bank report found that the soaring number of international students was putting pressure on the housing market during a time of high construction costs. 'The number of international students onshore is still near record highs, and student visa arrivals have exceeded departures in recent months, suggesting the number of students onshore is growing,' it said. 'In the face of a relatively fixed supply of housing in the short term, we would expect an increase in international students to put upward pressure on rental demand and rents (all else equal),' the report said. 'Capacity constraints, high costs in the construction sector, and low levels of building approvals relative to the population may mean the housing supply response could be slower to materialise compared with in the past.'
Reuters
21 minutes ago
- Reuters
In Australia's housing war, political shift picks newbies over NIMBYs
SYDNEY, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Australia's affordable housing push has arrived in the wealthy Sydney suburb of Mosman, where new planning laws now challenge longstanding resistance to development in the leafy area known for mansions and sweeping harbour views. State authorities in Sydney and Melbourne - Australia's two biggest cities - are stripping some planning powers from suburban councils, including ones like Mosman that have created national headlines over opposition to new housing from older, wealthier constituents. The broad policy shift comes as political deference to NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) sentiment gives way to demands for more housing from younger voters whose electoral heft now rivals the traditionally powerful baby boomer bloc. In Mosman, there are fears the reforms will ultimately alter the character of the suburb, which boasts natural beauty, high-end stores and a median house price of over A$5 million ($3.23 million). "We're surrounded by water with harbour views so there are people who are going to have literally millions of dollars knocked off the value of their property because their view will be blocked," said Simon Menzies, an elected Mosman councillor of 20 years. The new laws are designed to allow more housing at key transport and commercial hubs and give the New South Wales state government powers to override council objections to large developments. Similar rules to fast-track three-storey apartment blocks have been introduced in Melbourne's state of Victoria. Five kilometres from Mosman, a new metro line in the suburb of Crows Nest means the state government has given a 22-storey apartment building the green light, overriding years-long council opposition. In Mosman, objections from neighbours to one such proposal are already pouring in, but the council said there is little they can do about it. The government intervention tracks a broader international trend, particularly in high-demand markets like London and California where soaring costs have hampered home ownership for young people. Sydney's house prices have surged more than 30% over the past five years, outpacing wage growth. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns warns Sydney, the state's capital, risks becoming "a city with no grandchildren". It is already the second-most unaffordable city globally after Hong Kong. "Their narrative is get out of our way. We want to build as many homes as possible to enable young Sydney residents to buy their homes," said Kos Samaras, director at polling firm Redbridge. "I think the political ballast that was there to protect the interests of homeowners is now gone." Australia's sprawling cities are among the world's least densely populated and historically built to accommodate suburban aspirations of owning detached houses with large backyards, not apartment living. That has shifted in recent decades, particularly as waves of immigrants and students settle in high-rises around public transport hubs. The latest housing push is designed to fill in the "missing middle" - townhouses, terraces and low-rise residential flats, which typically meet opposition from councils. Research from the Productivity Commission showed industry is only building half as many homes per hour, compared with 30 years ago, hampered in part by approval processes that can stretch more than a decade. Federal Housing Minister Clare O'Neil said 40 years of state, local and federal government regulations have created an impenetrable "wall of bureaucracy" for anyone trying to build a house. "I think we've reached a tipping point here where the majority of our population are actually in housing distress themselves or are deeply concerned about the people that they know, especially that younger generation," O'Neil told Reuters. After her party's landslide victory in the May federal election, O'Neil is pledging "bigger and bolder" policies. A productivity roundtable this month presents an opportunity to remove some of those requirements, she added. The turnaround may have already started. Building approvals of apartments surged almost 90% in the first half of the year, driven by a 33% jump in New South Wales. Construction jobs jumped 20% in the three months to May and construction starts of higher density homes rose over 20% in the first quarter. Peter Tulip, chief economist at the Centre for Independent Studies, expects a substantial step-up in construction in New South Wales and Victoria from 2026 onwards. However, supply will still struggle to meet demand, pushing prices higher. Indeed, national home prices have hit fresh records each month, fuelled by rate cuts and the expectations of more to come. Justin Simon, chair of housing advocacy group Sydney YIMBY, said Mosman had great amenity and was exactly the sort of place where new housing was needed. "There is no way an ordinary person, essential workers, cleaners, nurses or anyone else could ever afford to live in Mosman and that is because for decades they have stopped new homes being built and we need to turn that around," he said. Some Mosman property owners impacted by policy changes are joining forces to sell entire blocks to developers, capitalising on strong demand for higher-density housing in the harbourside suburb. The first application under the new policy, for example, is a six-storey residential building near the main town centre, comprising 29 dwellings, most of which are the family-sized three-bedroom units Sydney lacks. Objections cited issues such as traffic, road safety, parking and privacy concerns, public submissions to the council showed. "These are mainly three-bedroom units, each with double beds, so the total number of eyes that will be looking into this area (my backyard) would be 110," said a neighbor of the development, who has lived in Mosman since 1999 and asked to remain anonymous. "If they're all occupied, it's 110 eyes looking every time I hang my underwear outside." While that local backlash could yet create wider pressure for the government, politicians for now are siding with what they see as demographic inevitability. "Sydney, Wollongong, Newcastle - these cities aren't museums," said Paul Scully, New South Wales planning minister. "They need to grow and evolve and adapt and change in the same way our population changes." ($1 = 1.5482 Australian dollars)
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Australian Army soldier calls for a protest on the Harbour Bridge to oppose mass immigration and highlight rising homelessness
A former Australian Army soldier has sparked debate after suggesting a protest on the Sydney Harbour Bridge to oppose mass immigration, rising homelessness, and billions in foreign aid while Australians sleep rough. Sam Bamford, from Adelaide, joined the Australian Defence Force straight out of school in 2009 and served his country on a six-month tour in Afghanistan in 2012. Mr Bamford's tour was marked by a 'green on blue' attack in August of that year, whereby Afghan soldiers turned on their NATO allies, killing three of his fellow Australian soldiers and an Afghan interpreter, while another nine were injured. Two Australian Defence Force soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash on the same day. Now he has accused the government of prioritising foreign aid and mass immigration over the needs of struggling Australians. Drawing comparisons to last weekend's pro-Palestinian protest that blocked the iconic bridge, Bamford floated the idea of organising a similar 'freedom rally' to highlight what he claims is a national crisis being ignored. 'What if I organised a rally to speak out against the mass unchecked immigration, to shine a light on 122,000 Aussies that are currently homeless, with another 10,000 added every single month, he said. 'To ask why we're ignoring our own people while the government sends $5billion worth of foreign aid every single year. 'We're funding programs overseas, whilst Aussies sleep in tents, while veterans go without and whilst Aussie families choose between food and rent.' Mr Bamford questioned why protests about overseas conflicts are applauded, while those focused on domestic issues like homelessness, housing, or veteran welfare are often ignored or attacked. 'Imagine I called it the Freedom Rally for Australia, and I decide to march over and shut down the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I block traffic, I shut down emergency service routes, frontline services get delayed, and so on. 'Do you think the general population would celebrate that? Do you think the media would cheer it on? Would I have celebrities stand by my side, or would it be shut down, smeared and labelled before I even got there? Bamford didn't stop at domestic issues. He also turned his attention to what he describes as the ignored horror of global child trafficking, claiming that five million children are trafficked each year into sex slavery, war zones, and forced labour. 'I'm not blind to what's happening overseas,' he said. 'What's happening over there is horrific, and it needs to stop. 'But I'm also not naive to what happens globally. Did you know that 5 million children are trafficked every single year into sex ring and slavery and child soldier camps? 'That's not a conspiracy theory. I've spoken to people who rescue those kids. I've done podcasts with them. These people work 24/7, they're constantly on the move, and they're working conditions that most people couldn't even stomach - so where's the Harbour Bridge protest for them? 'Where's the outrage for that. 'Because when it's a trendy cause, it'll shut down the Harbour Bridge. 'But when it's about issues in our own backyard or shutting down the child trafficking world, it's crickets, nothing.' Aware that his comments might spark backlash, Bamford makes it clear he isn't concerned about being labelled. 'Before you call me a Zionist or a bigot or whatever makes you feel good, I'm only here pointing out that we should be fixing Australian issues first - the issues in our own backyard,' he said. Thousands of people have since commented on the idea, with most showing support for Bamford's stance. 'Come on Aussies, let's take Australia back and look after our own backyard,' said one user. 'Australian people need [to] stand together and forget the petty BS for one day and start being mates again,' said another. 'It really grinds my gears… our government should be helping Aussies first… we are in crisis here,' another wrote. One commenter said something needed to be done for future generations. 'They can't afford houses or food and too many [are] homeless — something has to be done,' they said. 'The government has to listen to us.' Another user, who works at a charity supporting at-risk youth, said they wished more people would direct their energy toward helping vulnerable Australian children. 'We all agree what's happening overseas is disgusting and awful - but there is only so much Australia can do for international conflicts,' they said. 'Where's the same level of sympathy for kids living in awful circumstances in Australia?' Some users supported the idea of a protest rally on August 31, with many saying they would attend if it went ahead.
