Barnaby Joyce, the One Nation MP for New England, has claimed that "people who look like they've recently arrived" are outbidding Australian-born buyers at home auctions, despite official data showing fewer than 1% of residential dwellings are purchased by foreign persons.
Joyce's comments on Sunrise
Appearing on Channel Seven's Sunrise on Monday, Joyce argued for a more sustainable immigration policy, stating: "People in Australia, born in Australia of every creed and colour and gender, get sick of going to a house auction and being knocked out of it by people, to be frank, who look like they've recently arrived."
Labor minister Tanya Plibersek, also on the panel, countered that the real issue was investors, not migrants, and noted the government's tax reforms to address housing affordability.
Race discrimination commissioner's warning
Federal race discrimination commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman said discussions about migration and housing were legitimate but warned against "demonising migrants." He told Guardian Australia: "We should be able to have a nuanced, careful discussion about migration without demonising migrants."
Data contradicts claims
Australian Tax Office statistics reveal that foreign persons acquired only 0.5% of all residential dwellings in 2024-25 (2,672 out of 540,439). In 2023-24, the figure was 0.8% (4,092 out of 525,039), and in 2022-23, 0.9% (4,463 out of 476,136).
Michael Fotheringham, managing director of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, described the numbers as "fleetingly small" and "a trivial number," adding that foreign purchases are not a meaningful impact on the market.
Existing foreign ownership laws
Australia already bars non-residents from buying established dwellings. Foreign residents may only purchase new or near-new dwellings, established homes for redevelopment, off-the-plan properties, or vacant residential land, all requiring approval from the Tax Office. Labor's May budget extended the temporary ban on foreign purchases of established dwellings until 30 June 2029.
Former immigration deputy secretary Abul Rizvi noted that existing rules block most temporary entrants from buying existing properties, and judging the market as a spectator at auction may be misleading.
One Nation's policy confusion
Joyce's comments follow a gaffe last week when he incorrectly stated One Nation would force permanent residents to sell their homes. He later corrected that the policy applies only to non-residents. On Monday, he downplayed the mistake, saying the policy wasn't written down at the time. Plibersek ridiculed this, asking: "So you just made it up?"
One Nation's website states: "We must stop the sale of property to non-residents and non-citizens." Joyce was contacted for comment.
