Is immigration to blame for Australia’s housing crisis?

The housing crisis is undoubtedly one of the major talking points this election.

For the Coalition, a key solution is to slash immigration, with Peter Dutton pledging to reduce the number of permanent migrants in Australia from current levels of 185,000 a year to 140,000 a year.

Yet, certain economic experts believe immigration has been overplayed as a leading driver of unaffordable housing.

Matt Grudnoff of the Australian Institute suggests immigration has had a marginal role in the crisis, citing other forces such as the capital gains tax as the main culprit.

Furthermore, Deputy Director of the Grattan Institute’s Economic Prosperity Program, Trent Wiltshire is skeptical of Mr Dutton’s proposed policy, and warns that while cutting immigration may slightly lower house prices, in the long run it will make Australian’s poorer.

Image: Image: Shutterstock

Produced By: George Pople

Featured In Story: Matt Grudnoff of the Australian Institute , and Trent Wiltshire of the Grattan Institute

First aired on The Wire, Wednesday 23 April 2025