An independent journalist has been thrown out of a press conference after asking Australia’s Prime Minister about skyrocketing immigration and its effects on housing and infrastructure.
Laurence McIntyre, who runs media outlet What’s News!?, turned up at Anthony Albanese’s first election campaign stop in Opposition leader Peter Dutton’s electorate of Dickson in Queensland with Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Saturday morning.
On Day 1 of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s election campaign, a heckler blasted his immigration policies for pricing young people out of the housing market. pic.twitter.com/ndEDuCwym4
— Australians vs. The Agenda (@ausvstheagenda) March 28, 2025
“Mr Albanese, don’t you think bringing in 1.8 million immigrants in five years is going to increase demand on the medical system?” he asked.
“What about the fact that people my age can’t get any housing, we can’t get rentals anymore, we have no future in the country anymore, don’t you think that’s kind of ridiculous?”
Mr McIntyre was then pushed out of the door by a security guard.
He later told Noticer News he confronted the Prime Minister because years of mass immigration had pushed the country to near “breaking point”.
“For Albanese to claim he’s going to solve the housing crisis whilst simultaneously promising that he’s going to bring in 1.8 million people is an insult to the intelligence of every Australian,” he said.
“We can all see that things are getting worse and we’re almost at our breaking point as a country. My heart goes out to the families who are struggling to feed their children and the people without roofs over their heads.”
Here’s my footage from this morning, when I got the chance to ask @AlboMP the kind of questions these so-called “journalists” are too afraid to ask…
Australia has been subject to decades of economic and social decline thanks to politicians like him who have become so cowardly… pic.twitter.com/GR0JMraRH2
— What’s News!? (@Whats_Newsss) March 29, 2025
Just ripped into Chalmers and Albo himself IRL. They couldn’t utter a word, let alone a response.
Footage coming soon… pic.twitter.com/MBgBSPd09t
— What’s News!? (@Whats_Newsss) March 28, 2025
The question appeared to be referring to Labor’s net overseas migration forecasts revealed in Tuesday’s budget, which combined with the numbers from the last two years showed a total of 1.82 million.
However, the actual number is likely to be much higher as the previous two forecasts have been far exceeded, and Labor has not said how intends to bring the numbers down.
According to the budget, net overseas migration for 2023-24 was 435,000, which is lower than the 446,000 recorded by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, but still far higher than last year’s budget forecast of 260,000 which was then revised upwards to 340,000 in December.
And the 335,000 forecast for 2024-25 is already an increase of 75,000 on last year’s budget prediction of 260,000.
The net overseas migration figure has also been criticised by experts who say it masks the number of immigrant arrivals.
More than 1.4 million immigrants arrived in Australia in the first two years of Mr Albanese’s government, after intakes of 739,000 and 667,000 in the last two financial years.
Arrivals for the 2024-25 financial year are likely to be slightly lower, but will still push the total to about 1.9 million for Labor’s first term, more than the population of South Australia.
A recent poll showed that 80% of Australians want immigration cut, most do not want more diversity, are uncomfortable with multiculturalism and oppose using immigration to fill so-called skills shortages.
The federal election will be held on May 3.
Header image: Left, Laurence McIntyre is thrown out of the press conference. Right, Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Mr Albanese during the questions (WhatsNews!?).
