Anthony Albanese under fire after close political ally breaks ranks and demands a cut to immigration

Queensland Labor premier Steven miles has broken ranks to demand the Albanese government slash immigration levels as his state battles a crippling housing crisis. 

Mr Miles urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to reduce high migration levels to a more reasonable rate in an unprecedented move. 

Mr Miles said Queensland's housing market would struggle to keep up with an influx of new migrants and population growth if the government didn't act now.  

'If migration continues at current levels we'll need tens of thousands more homes every year than industry can build,' he said. 

'That's a big part of why prices and rents have risen so rapidly.

'The federal government needs to assist us to ensure infrastructure keeps pace with population growth.

'We urge them to consider moderating migration levels to assist with population growth.' 

A record 518,000 people moved to Australia in the 2022-23 financial year with up to 143,600 people moving to Queensland in the year to September 2023. 

It was almost four times the number of people who moved to Queensland in 2019 with the state's population to reach 7.4million in a decade if growth isn't curbed. 

Mr Miles said he was proud of Queensland's multicultural community and that he welcomed a 'manageable rate' of people moving to the state. 

He said skilled migration was required in Queensland, with the federal government agreeing to prioritise visas for construction workers.

Labor's coming Budget is setting aside $90.6million to boost the number of skilled workers in the construction sector.

The bulk of that money will fund 15,000 additional fee‑free TAFE training places and 5,000 pre-apprenticeship programs over two years from January 2025.

But $1.8million is also being set aside to speed up skills assessments for 1,900 potential qualified migrants from first-world countries who want to work in Australia's housing and construction sector. 

The funding would also give more resources to Trades Recognition Australia to assess 2,600 migrants from developing countries whose skills aren't formally recognised by national industry bodies. 

Mr Albanese alongside state and territory leaders earlier this year pledged to build 1.2million houses over five years from July, 2024.

However, supply is failing to keep up with demand, with private sector approvals plummeting by 9.9 per cent in January. 

Daniel Wild, the deputy director of the Institute of Public Affairs, said high immigration meant Australia would struggle to house a population influx.

'Governments at all levels are setting Australia up for an economic and humanitarian disaster, as latest dwelling approvals show we are simply not building enough houses for first home buyers and new migrants alike, despite record intakes,' he said.

Mr Wild said the plunge in building approvals, amid higher costs, highlighted 'the real-world consequences of unplanned, record levels of migration'.

'Despite repeated warnings, the federal government continues to push the accelerator on migration at the exact same time as the brakes are being slammed on housing approvals,' he said.

In the year to January, just 99,759 new private houses were approved, including 7,461 in the first month of 2024.