Gerard Rennick (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I, too, rise to speak on this motion because I think that we definitely need a plan/policy—however you want to call it—to deal with the catastrophic rise in population and the catastrophic rise in homelessness that is occurring in this country. It is clear that the Treasury, the immigration department and Home Affairs have lost control of our borders.

I note a comment made by the current head of the Treasury, Steven Kennedy, during the last set of estimates. I apologise if I don't quote it verbatim, but it was along the lines of saying that he was surprised by the number of immigrants and visas of people who had come into the country. I remember being surprised that he would make such a remark because I would have thought the Treasury would also talk to the immigration department and talk to Home Affairs about the number of visas being issued, No. 1, and then the number of outstanding visas or visas that had been issued whereby people had not yet arrived from the visas that had been issued.

I think another key word in all of this planning or policy is actually 'priorities'. As a government, a good government needs to get its priorities straight, and it is clear that the vested interests of universities and big corporations are being put in front of the needs of hardworking Australians in regard to both their ability to acquire housing as well as the ability for the government as a whole to build infrastructure that provides essential services. Finally, our skills based economy—why do we always have to necessarily use people from overseas? Do we really want a large university sector at the expense of a skills based sector in the trades? I feel as though our trades sector is being eroded in order of everyone going to university, getting a degree and then graduating broke and brainwashed. We need to get our priorities straight, and, if having a plan is a part of that, then so be it.

Question agreed to.