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- Majority of voters believe Australia’s migration intake is too high
- Taxpayers on hook for big bill as Commonwealth Games axed
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Majority of voters believe Australia’s migration intake is too high
A majority of voters believe Australia’s migrant intake is too high amid a debate about how best to manage the country’s population growth while balancing business demands for skilled workers with community concerns about housing supply shortages.
Only 3 per cent of voters regarded the nation’s overseas migration numbers as being “too low”, while 59 per cent said they were “too high” and 25 per cent believed they were “about right” when asked about federal government projections the intake would surge to a record high of 400,000 this year before falling next year.
The exclusive survey, conducted for this masthead by research company Resolve Strategic, found retirees and Coalition voters were most likely to nominate the intake as too high at 72 per cent and 70 per cent respectively, compared to 50 per cent of Labor voters.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has argued that his government’s planned overhaul of the migration system – which includes boosting minimum pay for temporary migrant workers, reducing the hours foreign students can work and scrapping labour market testing used to bring in workers – is aimed at “less migration, but of the right people” to boost productivity in areas of skills shortages.
But the record intake this year has set the foundations for a febrile debate, with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton using his budget reply speech this year to accuse the government of pursuing an unplanned “Big Australia approach” that would make the cost-of-living crisis and inflation worse.
This is despite the fact the Morrison government was forecasting Australia’s population would reach 27 million in early 2023, higher than the current estimate of 26.4 million.
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Taxpayers on hook for big bill as Commonwealth Games axed
Victorian taxpayers will still pay a multibillion-dollar Commonwealth Games bill to cover continued project work and compensation following the state government’s unexpected decision to scrap the event owing to cost blowouts.
Premier Daniel Andrews cancelled the Games on Tuesday, claiming the cost of the event had ballooned to between $6.2 billion and $7 billion, almost triple the initial $2.6 billion cost budgeted 15 months ago when Victoria successfully bid for the event.
Victorian taxpayers will still pay a multibillion-dollar Commonwealth Games bill to cover continued project work and compensation following the state government’s unexpected decision to scrap the event owing to cost blowouts.Credit: Marija Ercegovac
The government has confirmed it would still spend $2 billion on Games-related projects and support for regional areas, while the size of the compensation bill for breaking its contract remains unknown.
Commonwealth Games Australia boss Craig Phillips lashed the new cost estimates as “inflated” and “grossly exaggerated” and said the decision would affect Victoria’s international reputation as a host of major events.
The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have confirmed with government and major events sources that consultancy firm Ernst & Young was commissioned to provide the estimates. EY and other consultants also estimated the smaller initial cost.
Andrews said unforeseeable cost overruns came from services, security, transport and temporary infrastructure and the government needed to make its decision before major contracts were inked.
Government sources not authorised to speak publicly were playing down the size of any potential taxpayer-funded bill for breaking the contract, while a team of government lawyers was on the ground in London negotiating an exit from the contract with Commonwealth Games organisers. The Victorian government has not revealed the exit clauses for the Games contract.
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This morning’s headlines at a glance
Good morning, and thanks for your company.
It’s Wednesday, July 19. I’m Ashleigh McMillan, and I’ll be anchoring our live coverage for the first half of the day.
Here’s what you need to know before we get started:
- Victorian taxpayers will pay a multibillion-dollar Commonwealth Games bill to cover continued project work after the state government’s decision to scrap the event due to cost.
- A majority of voters believe Australia’s migrant intake is too high amid a debate about how best to manage the country’s population growth while balancing demands from businesses for skilled workers.
- There are fresh signs of diplomatic repair between Australia and China, after Treasurer Jim Chalmers held face-to-face talks with his Sino counterpart on Tuesday. It’s the first meeting of the countries’ chief finance ministers in four years.
- An American soldier crossed the heavily armed border from South Korea into North Korea “wilfully and without authorisation” on Tuesday, according to US officials.
Donald Trump says he expects to face arrest and criminal charges in a federal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, after he was notified by the Department of Justice that he was the “target” of their probe.
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