Unions in civil war over immigration

Last week, CFMEU boss Zach Smith told the National Press Club that “turning off the tap of migration” would be “deeply exclusionary and also economically harmful”.

This follows the largest immigration intake in Australia’s history in 2022, which has driven the worst rental crisis in generations – a situation that will only worsen as demand via extreme immigration continues to overrun new housing supply:

Dwelling completions versus population change

This week, the Electrical Trades Union criticised the Albanese Government for approving a labour migration agreement for the EnergyConnect electricity interconnector project.

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About the author

Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.