Polls reveal what Australians are demanding to solve housing crisis – as Anthony Albanese’s government signals huge tax hike for group of homeowners

Australians have made it clear they believe there is one big policy change the federal government could make to solve the country’s housing crisis.

A new poll has found almost two-thirds of Aussies want Anthony Albanese’s government to cut migration after numbers soared since the end of the pandemic.

The Resolve Political Monitor for Nine newspapers found that 62 percent of voters said the migration influx – expected to exceed 500,000 this year – is too high.

In a sign that the government has taken note of the public’s concerns, it will announce on Sunday that foreigners who buy homes in Australia and leave them empty will face a huge tax hike.

This aims to get rid of so-called ‘ghost mansions’ in some of Australia’s wealthiest suburbs – homes that sit empty while owners see their values ​​rise.

The Resolve Political Monitor for Nine newspapers found that 62 percent of voters said migration inflows – expected to exceed 500,000 this year – are too high (stock image)

Treasurer Jim Chalmers will also announce plans to help ease the rental crisis, such as cuts to fees paid by foreign investors looking to build homes to rent.

On Saturday, Albanese said the government would return immigration to what he said was sustainable levels after a huge post-Covid surge.

The overhaul follows a study that found Australia’s immigration system was “severely broken” and needed a decade of rebuilding, he said.

“What we know is that we need a migration system that allows Australia to get the skills we need, but ensures the system works in the interests of all Australians,” he said.

The Prime Minister said there was always going to be a jump in immigration after Covid-19, but current forecasts were lower than before Australia closed its borders during the pandemic.

The Ministry of Finance’s forecasts also show that the inflow is expected to decrease substantially in the coming financial year.

The investigation, conducted by former Prime Minister and Head of Cabinet Martin Parkinson, found there had been abuse of Australia’s acceptance of international students.

“People come here and sign up for courses that don’t really contribute substantially to their skills or to the national interest here,” Mr Albanese said.

‘So it is not in the interests of our neighbours, nor in the interests of Australia, that this is not dealt with harshly. We are committed to doing that.”

He said the review found it was a conscious decision to neglect the system and that Parkinson said it was so badly broken that it had to be rebuilt over a decade. Well, we are committed to solving this.”

Among the changes to be announced in the coming days are stricter requirements for students’ English proficiency.

The Resolve survey found there was a strong preference for allowing skilled workers into Australia over students, and little support for prioritizing refugees and asylum seekers.

The government will announce on Sunday that foreigners who buy homes in Australia and leave them empty will face a huge tax hike. A house auction in Sydney is pictured

Business groups want the government to have a large influx of skilled migrants to help fill hundreds of thousands of vacancies in construction, health care, housing, engineering and technology.

The construction industry alone says it will need 480,000 new workers over the next three years – from Australian apprentices to skilled foreign workers – to fill new jobs and replace old workers.

The government’s announcement came as an Eritrean-born man became the sixth former immigration detainee to be arrested for allegedly breaking the curfew.

The AFP arrested and charged the 36-year-old on Friday evening after he was in inner-city Melbourne.

The man is said to have violated the terms of his visa by not adhering to his curfew obligations. This offense carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $93,900 fine.

The government has been scrambling to respond to a Supreme Court ruling that overturned two decades of legal precedent declaring the indefinite detention of detainees unlawful without the prospect of resettlement.

The opposition has demanded that the government apologize to Australians for the affair.

Among the changes to be announced in the coming days are stricter English language proficiency requirements for students. An entrance to the University of NSW is pictured

But Albanese said Labor had a legal obligation to respond to the court ruling and had no interest in risking the consequences of pre-empting such trials.

He said the government had received very clear and explicit advice on the issue but despite it being made available to the opposition, it had been ignored.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia grew by 2.2 per cent to 26.5 million in the 12 months to March 31, roughly marking the period after international borders were reopened.

Net overseas migration accounted for 81 percent of this growth, adding 454,400 people.