INTERVIEW WITH PATRICIA KARVELAS ON ABC AFTERNOON BRIEFING

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8 May 2026

Subjects: Federal Budget, Housing and Migration, Farrer By-Election

E&OE.........

Patricia Karvelas

For the Opposition's view ahead of Tuesday's Federal Budget, Shadow Housing and Environment Minister, Andrew Bragg, joins me now. Welcome to the programme.

Senator Bragg

Hi, PK, how are you?

Patricia Karvelas

Good. The Government is spruiking record savings, $64 billion, and a promise there will be a net save in the Budget. That's a good sign of constraint of spending, isn't it?

Senator Bragg

Well, let's see how they go, because so far what we've seen is a heavy reliance on debt and borrowings, and we see significant deficits as far as the eye can see, and we see the country about to tick over to $1 trillion in debt. So, look, let's see where they get to, but I suspect we're not going to see any material improvements.

Patricia Karvelas

Okay. The Australian is running a story that the Budget in Reply for the Coalition will include a migration policy that ties migration to the number of houses being built. Now this is very much your portfolio area. How would that idea work, that the immigration intake is linked to the completion rates? Is that the idea?

Senator Bragg

Well, for many years at Senate Estimates, I've been asking the Government, including Katy Gallagher, the Finance Minister, why doesn't the Government model the impact of allowing 1.4 million people into the country, but only building 600,000 houses? I've never been able to get a good answer to that question. And so at the basic level, we will model the nexus between migration and housing because, by definition, if you have more people in the country - you need more houses. And then that will be an input into our policymaking judgments.

Patricia Karvelas

Okay. So, when you say model, that means, is that based, will it be based on projections? So, you know, we are likely to build this many houses this year, therefore the intake can only be this many people?

Senator Bragg

We'll do the basic work of saying, well, if you have, under Labor's model, you've got 1.4 million new migrants, but you've only built 600,000 houses. So, maybe you should have considered that before you let all these people in. And maybe you should also consider the composition of the people you're bringing in. Maybe you should have brought in some tradies, for example. So, we'll do that common sense piece of work. And then secondly, what we'll do is we'll look to cap particular visa classes where there aren't the sufficient number of completions.

Patricia Karvelas

And that idea of capping, I mean, is there going to be perhaps a holding back of housing supply if you are creating this link? Will it have an impact potentially on the industry and how many houses they're able to make?

Senator Bragg

That's a good question. I mean, we will be wanting to recalibrate our migration settings because we are 80,000 tradies short in this country. Last year we only got 4,000 tradies in on visas. So, we need to be much more strategic in who we bring into our nation. I mean, this is a great country. Everyone wants to live here. I get that. But we should be much more picky and choosy about who we bring in, particularly in light of our massive deficit of tradies.

Patricia Karvelas

Will there be other housing policies unveiled in the Budget in Reply?

Senator Bragg

Well, there might be, but you'll have to tune in on Channel 2.

Patricia Karvelas

Yes, Channel 2. Oh God, I haven't heard anyone say that for years. Gosh, Andrew Bragg, I think you're younger than me. Anyway, okay, Channel 2. Yes, watch the ABC. Let me take you to the Farrer by-election. Do you think the Liberal Party will lose this one?

Senator Bragg

I think so. I think it's going to be a tough one for us. And I guess the real task for us right now, given the nature of the societal and economic challenges, is for us to recognise that we've got to really do a good job on policy formulation. We have to massively differentiate from the Government, particularly on economic policy. As we head to the next general election, which is the next opportunity to form a government.

Patricia Karvelas

Okay, so you think that your party is poised to lose this seat. Given you only won it a year ago when Sussan Ley ran, why would you lose it?

Senator Bragg

There is a lot of fragmentation in Australian politics today because I think Australians are rightly disappointed with the quality of political leadership that they've seen from both parties over the past decade or so. I understand that. I think the people generally get it right. As I have said before, we haven't done enough to differentiate historically from the Labor Party on economic policy in particular. That's a task for us in the months and years ahead. But in relation to this particular seat, I just think it's going to be tough for all the local factors which have been documented heavily in the media, national and local media, and we'll obviously do our best, but I'm not expecting us to win that seat.

Patricia Karvelas

Okay, you're not expecting to win that seat, but that is a big deal. What does a loss mean for the Party?

Senator Bragg

It's not unusual for a popular local member to not be replaced by a person of the same party, I should say, in historical terms.

Patricia Karvelas

Well, let me contest this concept. It is unusual if One Nation picks it up for One Nation, given they've not been able to win a lower house seat. Barnaby Joyce, of course, is a lower house member, but only because he defected from the Nationals. So, it is actually quite unusual if One Nation were to win.

Senator Bragg

Well, we have had independents replace Liberals. That's happened across Australia, unfortunately, in many cases. So it may be that that is going to be the case here. Look, I'm not sure there's any great national reason or any great consequences to come out of this particular by-election. As I say, I think that the key thing for the Opposition is to do the policy development which the Australian people expect of us. Now, the Government are going to hand down a shocking Budget next week. There will be new taxes which go alongside their massively inflated interest rates we saw last week. And unfortunately, the economic situation is going to get much worse before it gets better. So, it is desperate times in Australia, and we need to get going with our own policy formulation, as you've seen today with Angus' announcement around migration and housing.

Patricia Karvelas

Thank you so much for joining us.

Senator Bragg

Thank you.

Patricia Karvelas

And that's the Shadow Housing and Environment Minister, Andrew Bragg, there.

[Ends]

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