Sydneysiders pay for endless immigration

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I’ve long argued that water is the ‘elephant in the room’ of the immigration debate, something policymakers and pro-Big Australia supporters never acknowledge.

A series of reports has warned that Australia faces chronic water shortages and rising water bills as its population grows by millions due to persistently high immigration volumes.

NOM projection

For example, a 2021 report by the Productivity Commission (PC) warned that the projected 11 million increase in the populations of Australia’s cities “present significant risks to the security of Australia’s water resources”.

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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.