Time for Canberra Conversations. We love chatting to the Shadow Immigration Minister Paul Scarr. He’s on the line. G’day Paul.
Senator Scarr
G’day Tim, great to be with you and your listeners.
Tim Webster
Yes, great to talk to you. The first subject I must discuss with you is the meeting this week to thrash out Net Zero. Are you confident?
Senator Scarr
I’m confident that we’ll come to a good landing that considers the electricity prices, which your listeners are all battling with, and we all know that they’re far too high. So, we’ve got a Liberal Party Meeting on Wednesday, Shadow Ministry Meeting on Thursday, and then the Liberal Party and the National Party come together on Sunday to get to a landing on this issue, and then we’ve got to move forward. We’ve got to move forward and be an Opposition that holds the government to account and take our policies to the next election and give the people of Australia a real choice.
Tim Webster
Soft landing or hard landing on Sunday?
Senator Scarr
Look, I think we’re going to come together and produce the position that we can all agree with. I think there’s so many things we all agree with. We agree that electricity prices are too high, we agree that we’ve got to make sure that business in this country is sustainable, our manufacturing, business, agriculture, etc., the things that this country has been built on, and we’ve got to come up with a credible policy we take to the next election. So, I’m confident and optimistic.
Tim Webster
Look, and then prosecute other issues, including yours – Immigration, and I don’t think I have to tell you, it’s extremely high on the list of issues that Australians think we should be facing now.
Senator Scarr
Absolutely. The last research I’ve seen, is that 51% of Australians think that the level of immigration is too high now. In the last year, up to 31 March 2025, there were 315,900 people coming into this country, net overseas migration, and that is still 100,000 higher than the 10-year average before the covid nineteen pandemic. So, there’s a real issue there we need to address.
Tim Webster
It should be said, if you were in government, there’d still be immigration, but what you’re saying is not to that level.
Senator Scarr
Absolutely, there’ll still be immigration, but not to that level. So, we’ve got to bring that figure down, and we’ve got to make sure that we’re bringing in the right people, and at the moment, I’ve met with the Housing Institute of Australia, and what they’re telling me is there really needs to be a focus on bringing in tradies, skilled people who can actually help in terms of getting that housing supply up.
Tim Webster
There’s the other issue that we discuss on this program so often – housing. I still think to this day and today and tomorrow and the day after, housing is going to be one of the major issues we face, because I read stories everyday Paul about how difficult it is, particularly in places like Regional Australia. There is a story I read this morning, I thought, well, that makes sense. You know, older Australians are being asked to get out of their three, four-bedroom home with a lovely garden to make them available for young people. They say, well, yes, we would, but there’s nowhere for us to go in Regional Australia. There’s no medium density, there’s no low-density housing for us to go. We would do it, but we can’t. I mean, it’s such an all-encompassing problem that must be addressed by any government, and that includes you, if you get in.
Senator Scarr
Absolutely. Look, I met Housing Institute of Australia last week, and they were telling me that the costs to build a house in Sydney, even before you actually put in the bricks and mortar for the actual construction of the house, you’re looking at $500,000 in terms of just getting the infrastructure there, in terms of all the planning and zoning requirements. So, it’s a huge issue, it’s a huge issue, and we’ve got to make it easier for our young people to be able to afford a house. I mean, that’s the Australian dream.
Tim Webster
Well, good luck this week. I think all of us, it doesn’t matter which side of politics you’re on, we just want to see a viable Opposition that can really take it to the government. If you can get that done by Sunday, then our country is a better place.
Senator Scarr
Absolutely, mate, and that’s the goal, that’s what we’ve fixed on.
Tim Webster
Good on you, mate. Thanks for the chat.
