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Housing organisations have urged the government against placing blame on migrant communities as the primary driver behind the housing crisis.
Spokesperson for Everybody’s Home – a national campaign aimed at fixing the housing crisis – Maiy Azize, coordinated a letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton that expressed concerns over the government scapegoating migrant communities in regard to the housing crisis.
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Ms Azize labelled the sentiment as “nonsense” to blame migration for the housing crisis that has been “decades in the making”.
“During the COVID-19 era, which had lower migration, rents actually increased more than they did in the preceding decade,” Ms Azize stated.
Over 40 housing, homelessness, and community services organisations, including Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia (FECCA), and National Shelter participated in the letter to the government.
An analysis of SQM statistics revealed the national asking rents increased $84 extra per week during COVID-19 boarder closures (March 2020 to February 2022), higher than the $69 per week rise from March 2010–20 that was referenced in the organisations’ letter.
The organisations stated that decades of “poor policy choices by successive governments”, along with the “chronic undersupply of social housing” and inflationary effects of investor tax incentives, have fanned the flames of the housing crisis.
The government has been called on to show leadership in debates around housing affordability and draw their attention to the main drivers.
“Migrant communities are being scapegoated for Australia’s housing crisis. That rhetoric excuses failed government policies and detracts from the solutions that will fix this national emergency,” Ms Azize said.
“Governments have given handouts to investors, allowed unlimited rent increases, and stopped building homes for the people who need them. That’s why housing is so unfair, so unequal, and so unaffordable. It’s a distraction to suggest that migrants are to blame.”
Ms Azize added that migrants offer valuable contributions to society and fill workforce shortages.
“They don’t just create demand for housing, they help build the homes we need,” Ms Azize concluded.
“To make housing affordable again, our leaders must tackle the big drivers of this crisis. That means ending the unfair tax policies that push up the cost of housing and building more social housing.
“The new year brings a renewed chance to end this housing crisis. That can only be done by concentrating on the solutions that will actually fix it.”
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