Leith van Onselen nails it again in his Macrobusiness.com.au piece (link below): Anthony Albanese/Albo is steering Australia toward a demographic and economic cliff, all while gaslighting the public about the virtues of unchecked mass migration. This isn't about Left vs. Right; it's about elites vs. everyday Aussies, and Albanese's policies are a masterclass in subverting what voters actually want. Let's break it down, especially relevant down there in Melbourne, where housing squeezes and service strains are hitting hard, and why Leith's critique deserves full-throated support.
First off, the numbers don't lie, and Leith lays them out like a prosecutor's evidence board. Under Albanese's watch from 2022-2025, net migration has averaged a staggering 424,000 people annually — nearly five times the historical average of 90,000 from 1945 to 2005. That's not sustainable growth; that's a deluge. Temporary visa holders now top 2.9 million, making up 10% of the population, including over 638,000 students and 240,000 temporary graduates forming what Leith aptly calls a "vast labour-market underclass." Australia stands as a global outlier: 30% overseas-born, 50% with migrant origins, and population growth exploding by over 45% this century. Compare that to our Five Eyes peers or other developed nations, who've wisely hit the pause button on mass immigration to fix housing and infrastructure woes. Why is Australia the exception? Leith pins it on a blind faith in "multicultural nirvana," but it's really about propping up GDP figures at the expense of per-capita prosperity.
The economic fallout is brutal, and Leith's right to call it out as a productivity killer. Population growth is matching economic growth one-for-one, trapping us in a 60-year productivity low. Wages stagnate, infrastructure buckles — think overcrowded hospitals in Sydney or endless traffic on the freeways — and public services groan under the weight. Leith highlights how this "immigration/housing crunch" is driving world-beating rental pain and permanent water shortages in places like Melbourne, but it's rippling everywhere. Urban planners tiptoe around it, but the link is obvious: cram in more people without building enough homes or bolstering services, and you get a recipe for resentment. Albanese's half-measures on housing? Smoke and mirrors, as Leith says — they're faking progress while sustaining a migration level three times the norm.
Then there's the social discord angle, where Leith's critique really shines. Events like the Bondi Beach attack in late 2024 aren't isolated; they're symptoms of elevated tensions fuelled by rapid, unmanaged migration. Albanese's response? Pivot to gun control, antisemitism crackdowns, and neo-Nazi hunts, all while ignoring the migration elephant in the room. Leith astutely points out how the government exploits tragedies to entrench high immigration — framing critics as racists and pushing hate speech laws like the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill to chill dissent. It's authoritarian sleight-of-hand: use "social cohesion" as a buzzword to justify more migration, even as it drains public tolerance. And those partisan deals for Indian students and qualifications? Leith calls them discriminatory, yet they're waved through without scrutiny. This isn't inclusivity; it's selective blindness that erodes trust in democracy.
Historically, Leith contrasts this with saner eras: post-White Australia policy, migration was diverse but controlled at 90,000 net annually — enough to build a vibrant society without today's extremes. Other nations, under both conservative and liberal governments, have paused mass inflows to recalibrate. Canada, for instance, slammed on the brakes to tackle housing crises. Australia? We're doubling down, defying global prudence. Even compared to past Aussie leaders like John Howard, who reformed guns post-Port Arthur without exploiting divisions, Albanese comes off as opportunistic. Leith's spot-on: without a realignment — perhaps via rising support for parties like One Nation, whose vote tripled post-Bondi — we're stuck in this cycle.
Supporting Leith isn't about being anti-immigration; it's about being pro-sensible policy. But Albanese's radical Leftism ignores voter fatigue, punishes the battlers with higher costs and lower living standards, and risks deeper social fractures. As Leith concludes, unless we hit the brakes (say, down to 130,000 visas with tough regs), the indicators won't budge: housing unaffordable, services strained, cohesion frayed. In Melbourne, where population pressures are turning suburbs into pressure cookers, this hits home. Time for leaders to listen to the public, not lecture them. Kudos to Leith for keeping it real — Australia deserves better than this immigration autopilot.
https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2026/01/albanese-remains-an-immigration-radical/