Daniel Wild Discussing IPA Polling on Worker Shortages and Immigration on Channel Seven News Melbourne

On May 2, IPA Deputy Executive Director Daniel Wild discussed IPA polling on Australia’s worker shortage crisis and the increase of Immigration on Channel Seven Afternoon News Melbourne with Mike Amor.

Below is a transcript of the interview.

Mike Amor:

Australia is bracing for a migration surge with more than 650,000 people expected to enter the country over the next two years, but it has 62% of Victorians concerned. For more, we’re joined now by Daniel Wild from the Institute of Public Affairs. Afternoon, Daniel. Why are so many people worried about this?

Daniel Wild:

Well, good afternoon. So many people are worried in Victoria and across Australia because of concerns about infrastructure such as schools, roads, hospitals, and of course housing, and whether as a nation we can accommodate this proposed massive surge to our migration numbers. So there’s concerns about whether this can be accommodated without negatively affecting the day-to-day lived experience of Victorians.

Mike Amor:

Daniel, just picking up on a point there. Can our property market cope with a migration surge? We’ve already seen the rental crisis. Can it cope?

Daniel Wild:

No, it can’t at the moment. And that comes from the government’s chief housing advisory body that’s identified, already on current rates, that there’s over 100,000 housing shortage. Now, we predict that’s going to get to 200,000 on the back of this migrant surge. So we have this issue of housing, and also schools, roads, and hospitals, and congestion on our streets. And what Australians and the community is saying is we need to make sure that we get the infrastructure built first, and then we can look at population growth.

Mike Amor:

But on the flip side of that Daniel, Victoria is battling more than 100,000 job vacancies. Will this influx of migrants help fill those workplace shortages?

Daniel Wild:

Well, it could do, but from a policy perspective, governments need to be ensuring that they’re removing the financial penalties and red tape barriers on Australians getting into those jobs first. Pensioners, veterans and students face big barriers. If you’re a pensioner and you earn $226 a week, which is only about one and a half days of work a week, you then start to lose 50 cents in the dollar on your welfare payments. That’s why only three out of a hundred pensioners in Australia work, compared to one in four in New Zealand.

Mike Amor:

And migrants contribute hundreds of billions of dollars to Australia’s GDP. How do you respond to the economic argument that we need migration even at this level?

Daniel Wild:

Well, migration’s always been an important part of our nation and our history, and it will continue to do so. But what’s important is that policymakers look at how this is affecting the lived experience of people on the ground. Yes, greater migration will increase the size of our economy, but what matters is per capita growth. And our per capita growth in Melbourne and Victoria has been very weak over the last few years, and that’s what’s driving community concerns.

Mike Amor:

Daniel Wild, great to get your perspective. Thank you very much for your time.

Daniel Wild:

Pleasure. Thank you.