Pauline Hanson has reignited the immigration debate, claiming Australia is “drowning in unskilled migration” and arguing current visa settings are failing to address the nation’s housing crisis.
In a social media post, the One Nation leader pointed to official figures showing 190,000 permanent visas were issued in 2023–24. Of those, she said only a small fraction went to core construction trades, including 109 bricklayers, 521 carpenters and joiners, 383 painters and 174 electricians — a total she calculated at 1,428 workers, or 0.75 per cent of the intake.
“These figures are supposed to support housing supply for the remaining 185,000 new residents during a housing crisis,” she wrote.
“The Albanese Government’s narrative doesn’t stack up… and Australians are worse off.”
Earlier, Hanson also told Sky News host Chris Kenny that many of the migrants arriving in Australia were not skilled workers.
“Look at the number of visa holders that are coming, they’re applying for citizenship for Australia,” she said.
“They’re not skilled migrants at all … we’re actually drowning in these unskilled people.”
She contrasted the trade numbers with thousands of visas granted to accountants, software engineers and chefs, arguing they do not directly ease housing shortages.
Hanson credited Western Australian One Nation senator Tyron Whitten, a former construction worker, with bringing the statistics to light.
Earlier, she accused both major parties of mismanaging the migration program.
“The Liberal–Labor club has opened our borders to Uber drivers, but not doctors; to fast-food workers, but not engineers,” she said.
“Australia urgently needs to upskill our existing population, with One Nation long advocating for a strong traineeship and trades policy that gets young Australians learning the skills this country actually needs.”
The comments come as the Coalition recalibrates its stance on immigration. New Opposition figures Angus Taylor and Jane Hume have flagged a tougher approach as part of efforts to claw back conservative voters drifting to One Nation.
Recent polling suggests One Nation is gaining ground, leading the Coalition on first preferences in both the Australian Financial Review’s Redbridge/Accent Research survey and Newspoll.
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