Bragg says lower-income earners should accept substandard housing as colleagues rebuke his migration target

Liberal housing spokesman Andrew Bragg has proposed a Net Overseas Migration (NOM) figure of approximately 180,000 individuals under a Coalition government. This estimate is derived from the number of homes built in the previous year, which currently ranges from 173,000 to 180,000 annually. The actual NOM will be adjusted closer to the 2028 election based on updated construction figures.

Bragg also outlined plans to reduce the National Construction Code from over 2000 pages to an 80-page standard, focusing on basic structural integrity. The Coalition predicts that the NOM will decline to 225,000 by 2027-28, addressing the annual shortfall of about 350,000 to 400,000 between housing supply and incoming migrants. This reduction could be achieved through skill changes in the industry, modest reductions in international students, working holiday makers, and unskilled workers.

Bragg emphasized the importance of lifting migration standards and tailoring policies annually to maintain integrity and public trust. He also criticized the previous Coalition government's spending, contrasting it with Labor's restraint under Bob Hawke and Peter Walsh, who reduced federal spending from 27.5% to 22% of GDP in five years.