This isn’t my usual subject matter. Much of the time, I’m writing about naturopathy, disordered eating, or the plants and fungi that support us. Occasionally I expand out to the wellness industry and its associated wankery. But sometimes the line between “health” and “politics” is impossible to ignore. The policies and narratives shaping our lives are the same ones shaping our bodies, our stress levels, and our access to care. Wellness doesn’t stop at herbs and food... it’s about housing, justice, and solidarity. That’s why I’m writing about this.
I had a heated discussion with my dad today. He only reads the Courier-Mail - one of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp rags - and he was adamant that “immigrants are taking all our jobs and houses!” In particular he singled out Palestinian refugees, echoing the tabloid line that they’re flooding in unchecked and "could be terrorists.”
He didn’t know the actual stats. He didn’t know that Palestinians fleeing war go through multiple rounds of health, identity, security, and character checks before they can even get here. Between October 2023 and August 2024, Australia granted 2922 visas to people from Gaza and the West Bank. Of those, only about 1300 have actually arrived (ABC News, 2024; Wikipedia, 2024).
Most of those arrivals are on visitor visas - which mean no right to work, no Medicare, and no social support (ABC News, 2024). In the same period, thousands more Palestinians applied for protection or humanitarian visas and were denied (SBS News, 2024). The government even admitted it’s rejecting more applications than it approves.
In early 2025, officials reported that almost 1000 humanitarian visas had been granted to Palestinians and Israelis fleeing the conflict (CathNews, 2025). Yet when you compare that to the scale of displacement - more than 1.9 million Gazans uprooted - these numbers are tiny.
My dad's response to these numbers? "Oh. Is that it?"
This is not some wide-open floodgate. It’s extreme gatekeeping disguised as generosity.
It reminds me of a landlord who turns off the water for the whole apartment block, then sits back while the tenants fight each other for the last drips from the tap. The real question isn’t who stole your glass of water - it’s why the fuck the landlord cut it off in the first place.
That’s what scapegoating does. It directs our anger sideways or punches down - at immigrants, or at any of a number marginalised groups (take your pick: trans and LGBTQ+ people, people on welfare or unemployed folks, First Nations people, women and feminists, unions and striking workers, climate activists and scientists, Muslims and other religious minorities, young people and students, disabled people and NDIS users)... instead of upwards, where the real damage is being done.
So let me be crystal clear about who's actually to blame for the housing crisis.
He didn’t know the actual stats. He didn’t know that Palestinians fleeing war go through multiple rounds of health, identity, security, and character checks before they can even get here. Between October 2023 and August 2024, Australia granted 2922 visas to people from Gaza and the West Bank. Of those, only about 1300 have actually arrived (ABC News, 2024; Wikipedia, 2024).
Most of those arrivals are on visitor visas - which mean no right to work, no Medicare, and no social support (ABC News, 2024). In the same period, thousands more Palestinians applied for protection or humanitarian visas and were denied (SBS News, 2024). The government even admitted it’s rejecting more applications than it approves.
In early 2025, officials reported that almost 1000 humanitarian visas had been granted to Palestinians and Israelis fleeing the conflict (CathNews, 2025). Yet when you compare that to the scale of displacement - more than 1.9 million Gazans uprooted - these numbers are tiny.
My dad's response to these numbers? "Oh. Is that it?"
This is not some wide-open floodgate. It’s extreme gatekeeping disguised as generosity.
It reminds me of a landlord who turns off the water for the whole apartment block, then sits back while the tenants fight each other for the last drips from the tap. The real question isn’t who stole your glass of water - it’s why the fuck the landlord cut it off in the first place.
That’s what scapegoating does. It directs our anger sideways or punches down - at immigrants, or at any of a number marginalised groups (take your pick: trans and LGBTQ+ people, people on welfare or unemployed folks, First Nations people, women and feminists, unions and striking workers, climate activists and scientists, Muslims and other religious minorities, young people and students, disabled people and NDIS users)... instead of upwards, where the real damage is being done.
So let me be crystal clear about who's actually to blame for the housing crisis.
Who’s Actually to Blame?
- Billionaires, developers, and property moguls hoarding homes and land while families sleep in cars.
- Corporations raking in record profits while wages stagnate.
- Governments showering the wealthy with tax breaks, subsidies, and loopholes, then crying poor when hospitals, schools, and community services are gutted.
- Politicians cosying up to donors, lobbyists, and media barons instead of serving the public.
- Fossil fuel companies poisoning air, land, and water while blocking climate action.
- Big pharma and wellness grifters alike monetising sickness and fear.
- Media empires (hello, Murdoch) whipping up scapegoats and clickbait instead of telling the truth.
- A system that treats housing, healthcare, and education as commodities to be bought and sold... not human rights.
Combined, this isn't just an economic story. It’s a fucking public health disaster.
When Housing Becomes a Health Issue
Renters under housing stress show significantly worse mental health than homeowners (Baxter & Sullivan, 2022). Chronic stress doesn’t just live in your head... it hardwires itself into your body. It’s linked to heart disease, depression, and immune dysfunction.
And it feeds disordered eating. When people can’t afford groceries, when they’re juggling three jobs, or when wellness culture tells them to “fix” their stress with fasting and detoxes, food becomes another locus of control and desperation. Skipping meals to save money (and "bonus, get skinny!"), bingeing when the stress becomes unbearable, obsessing over “clean” food as a way to feel safe - these are survival responses dressed up as personal failure.
I know what that stress feels like. As a uni student, I lived off rice and tuna some weeks, until I discovered dumpster diving (glory be!). I juggled multiple jobs, applied for every scholarship I could get my hands on, right up to and including my Masters. I bicycled, took public transport, or carpooled to 80% of my decade of on-campus university study, until I moved to the country and had to drive to a train station to get to the city.
These days I’ve got a mortgage. It’s not easy, but it’s still not as soul-crushing as the insecurity of wondering if you can make rent. That kind of all-consuming precarity erodes your nervous system from the inside out.
And it feeds disordered eating. When people can’t afford groceries, when they’re juggling three jobs, or when wellness culture tells them to “fix” their stress with fasting and detoxes, food becomes another locus of control and desperation. Skipping meals to save money (and "bonus, get skinny!"), bingeing when the stress becomes unbearable, obsessing over “clean” food as a way to feel safe - these are survival responses dressed up as personal failure.
I know what that stress feels like. As a uni student, I lived off rice and tuna some weeks, until I discovered dumpster diving (glory be!). I juggled multiple jobs, applied for every scholarship I could get my hands on, right up to and including my Masters. I bicycled, took public transport, or carpooled to 80% of my decade of on-campus university study, until I moved to the country and had to drive to a train station to get to the city.
These days I’ve got a mortgage. It’s not easy, but it’s still not as soul-crushing as the insecurity of wondering if you can make rent. That kind of all-consuming precarity erodes your nervous system from the inside out.
Tax Breaks and Empty Promises
Around 73% of property tax concessions flow straight into the pockets of the wealthiest 10% (The Australia Institute, 2024). That’s billions not going into public housing, health clinics, or community services. And yet every election cycle, we’re told there’s “no money” for mental health, no money for beds in emergency wards, no money for schools. It’s a lie dressed up as fiscal responsibility.
The Housing “Crisis” Is Manufactured
On 31 August 2025, the March for Australia rallies were held across the country. They were heavily promoted by the National Socialist Network (NSN), a neo-Nazi group, and drew in a mix of extremist organisers and sympathetic politicians (Karp & McGowan, 2025).
What cracked me up was watching people rock up to these rallies and then act all shocked when they realised they were marching alongside Nazis. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
The message from the rallies was the same as always: blame immigrants for the housing crisis. But the facts just don’t stack up.
Over the last decade, more homes have been built than there are new arrivals. Between 2014 and 2024, Australia’s population grew by 16%, but the number of dwellings increased by 19% (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2024). In other words, supply has outpaced population growth.
So why are rents and mortgages still absolutely crushing people? Because thousands of homes remain deliberately left empty. In Sydney alone, more than 24 000 dwellings were classified as vacant or “ghost homes” in 2023 (McGowan, 2024). Developers and investors hoard these properties to drive up scarcity and prices. It's hard to fathom, let alone swallow.
And what really shits me is this: the March for Australia anti-immigration rallies were fronted by people with property developer ties. While they rant about refugees “stealing homes,” their own circles are sitting on them, treating houses like Monopoly pieces while ordinary people are left scrambling (Karp & McGowan, 2025).
Immigration is not the problem. Housing speculation is. Treating homes as assets instead of human rights is what fuels the crisis - and the health fallout that comes with it: stress, anxiety, depression, and families pushed into homelessness.
What cracked me up was watching people rock up to these rallies and then act all shocked when they realised they were marching alongside Nazis. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
The message from the rallies was the same as always: blame immigrants for the housing crisis. But the facts just don’t stack up.
Over the last decade, more homes have been built than there are new arrivals. Between 2014 and 2024, Australia’s population grew by 16%, but the number of dwellings increased by 19% (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2024). In other words, supply has outpaced population growth.
So why are rents and mortgages still absolutely crushing people? Because thousands of homes remain deliberately left empty. In Sydney alone, more than 24 000 dwellings were classified as vacant or “ghost homes” in 2023 (McGowan, 2024). Developers and investors hoard these properties to drive up scarcity and prices. It's hard to fathom, let alone swallow.
And what really shits me is this: the March for Australia anti-immigration rallies were fronted by people with property developer ties. While they rant about refugees “stealing homes,” their own circles are sitting on them, treating houses like Monopoly pieces while ordinary people are left scrambling (Karp & McGowan, 2025).
Immigration is not the problem. Housing speculation is. Treating homes as assets instead of human rights is what fuels the crisis - and the health fallout that comes with it: stress, anxiety, depression, and families pushed into homelessness.
Immigration Fills the Gaps
Another lie spun at those rallies is that immigrants are “stealing jobs.” The numbers tell a very different story.
In 2022-23, net overseas migration hit a record 518 000 people - after the all-time lows during COVID (Department of Home Affairs, 2023). By 2024-25, the pace had slowed: net overseas migration was around 316 000 in the year to March 2025 (Karp, 2025).
The 2024-25 Migration Program is capped at 185 000 permanent places, and 71% of those are earmarked for skilled visas, targeting actual workforce gaps (Department of Home Affairs, 2024). Nurses, aged-care workers, engineers, IT specialists, teachers, tradies... these are the people coming in. They’re not “taking” jobs. They’re filling the ones Australia desperately needs.
And this isn’t abstract for me. My mum migrated from Malaysia in the 1970s and became a nurse. She was incredibly hardworking, the kind of nurse whose skill you can’t fake. In my small hometown, patients would often specifically request her when they needed blood drawn, because she was that good. I am the child of an immigrant. And I know firsthand how much migrants contribute - not just in numbers, but in care, skill, and community.
The rest of Australia’s migration intake is mostly family reunion and humanitarian visas (Refugee Council of Australia, 2024). That includes people fleeing wars and disasters, or reuniting with loved ones after years apart.
And let’s not forget: Australia is one of the most multicultural countries in the world. As of June 2024, 31.5% of Australians were born overseas, and nearly half (48.2%) have at least one parent born overseas (ABS, 2024; ABS, 2022). This isn’t new. It’s who we are.
In 2022-23, net overseas migration hit a record 518 000 people - after the all-time lows during COVID (Department of Home Affairs, 2023). By 2024-25, the pace had slowed: net overseas migration was around 316 000 in the year to March 2025 (Karp, 2025).
The 2024-25 Migration Program is capped at 185 000 permanent places, and 71% of those are earmarked for skilled visas, targeting actual workforce gaps (Department of Home Affairs, 2024). Nurses, aged-care workers, engineers, IT specialists, teachers, tradies... these are the people coming in. They’re not “taking” jobs. They’re filling the ones Australia desperately needs.
And this isn’t abstract for me. My mum migrated from Malaysia in the 1970s and became a nurse. She was incredibly hardworking, the kind of nurse whose skill you can’t fake. In my small hometown, patients would often specifically request her when they needed blood drawn, because she was that good. I am the child of an immigrant. And I know firsthand how much migrants contribute - not just in numbers, but in care, skill, and community.
The rest of Australia’s migration intake is mostly family reunion and humanitarian visas (Refugee Council of Australia, 2024). That includes people fleeing wars and disasters, or reuniting with loved ones after years apart.
And let’s not forget: Australia is one of the most multicultural countries in the world. As of June 2024, 31.5% of Australians were born overseas, and nearly half (48.2%) have at least one parent born overseas (ABS, 2024; ABS, 2022). This isn’t new. It’s who we are.
Inequality Makes Us Sick
The evidence is clear: as inequality rises, health outcomes decline. Not just for the poorest, but across the whole society. Life expectancy shortens. Chronic illness climbs. Communities fracture. Inequality itself is a risk factor (Marmot & Allen, 2020; The Lancet Public Health, 2023).
“Don’t Make Health Political”
People often complain when health is framed as political. They want it to stay in the realm of “personal responsibility” - eat better, exercise more, think positive.
But health has always been political.
Whether you have safe housing is political. Whether your local hospital is funded is political. Whether billionaires pay tax or hoard property is political.
It’s the same logic that fuels diet culture: blame the individual for their weight, their hunger, or their eating habits, while ignoring the structural causes of disordered eating - poverty, trauma, racism, fatphobia, and chronic stress. It’s easier to blame the person than to hold systems accountable.
Health doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It happens in bodies shaped by policy, power, and politics. Pretending otherwise is just another way of protecting the status quo.
This isn’t just some far-out philosophical idea for me. In my Masters of Nutrition and Dietetics, I majored in public health and did placements at community hubs working with newly arrived migrants from Sudan and Laos (raddest of my placements by far!). Public health has always mattered to me... it’s why I put my arse on the line during COVID in the permaculture village I lived in, and got punished for speaking up. But I’ve studied this stuff, I’ve lived it, and I can’t in good conscience stay silent.
But health has always been political.
Whether you have safe housing is political. Whether your local hospital is funded is political. Whether billionaires pay tax or hoard property is political.
It’s the same logic that fuels diet culture: blame the individual for their weight, their hunger, or their eating habits, while ignoring the structural causes of disordered eating - poverty, trauma, racism, fatphobia, and chronic stress. It’s easier to blame the person than to hold systems accountable.
Health doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It happens in bodies shaped by policy, power, and politics. Pretending otherwise is just another way of protecting the status quo.
This isn’t just some far-out philosophical idea for me. In my Masters of Nutrition and Dietetics, I majored in public health and did placements at community hubs working with newly arrived migrants from Sudan and Laos (raddest of my placements by far!). Public health has always mattered to me... it’s why I put my arse on the line during COVID in the permaculture village I lived in, and got punished for speaking up. But I’ve studied this stuff, I’ve lived it, and I can’t in good conscience stay silent.
Compassion Where It Belongs
I have compassion for renters on the brink, for students stretching noodles across the week, for families waiting years for a safe home, for refugees fleeing bombs only to face red tape here.
But I have no compassion for billionaires hoarding houses, for politicians slashing health funding while defending tax loopholes, or for Murdoch’s media empire whipping up scapegoats to sell papers. They don’t deserve compassion. They deserve scrutiny and accountability.
But I have no compassion for billionaires hoarding houses, for politicians slashing health funding while defending tax loopholes, or for Murdoch’s media empire whipping up scapegoats to sell papers. They don’t deserve compassion. They deserve scrutiny and accountability.
Health IS Political
Wellness isn’t adaptogens and yoga passes. It’s being able to pay rent without having a panic attack. It’s knowing your community centre hasn’t been gutted. It’s enough teachers in your kid’s school. It’s a hospital bed when you need one.
Immigrants aren’t the problem.
Trans people / First Nations people / (insert marginalised group here) aren’t the problem.
Marginalised communities aren’t the problem!
The problem is billionaires, corporations, and the politicians who protect them while the rest of us scramble to survive.
If we want real public health, we need to stop blaming each other and start demanding change from the top. That’s where the fight belongs.
Immigrants aren’t the problem.
Trans people / First Nations people / (insert marginalised group here) aren’t the problem.
Marginalised communities aren’t the problem!
The problem is billionaires, corporations, and the politicians who protect them while the rest of us scramble to survive.
If we want real public health, we need to stop blaming each other and start demanding change from the top. That’s where the fight belongs.
References
ABC News. (2024, September 20). Palestinian arrivals in Australia left in limbo by restrictive visas. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-20/palestinian-gaza-visas-immigrating-australia-jobs/104371952
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2022, June 28). 2021 Census: Nearly half of Australians have a parent born overseas. Australian Bureau of Statistics. https://www.abs.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/2021-census-nearly-half-australians-have-parent-born-overseas
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2024, June 30). Australia’s population by country of birth. Australian Bureau of Statistics. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/australias-population-country-birth/latest-release
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2024, March). Building activity, Australia: March 2024. Australian Bureau of Statistics. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/building-and-construction/building-activity-australia/latest-release
Baxter, J., & Sullivan, D. (2022). Housing affordability stress and mental health: Evidence from Australian renters. arXiv preprint arXiv:2205.01255. https://arxiv.org/abs/2205.01255
CathNews. (2025, January 21). Australia grants almost 1000 humanitarian visas to people fleeing Gaza conflict. CathNews. https://cathnews.com/2025/01/21/australia-grants-almost-1000-humanitarian-visas-to-people-fleeing-gaza-conflict
Department of Home Affairs. (2023). Australia’s Migration Program 2022–23 Report. Commonwealth of Australia. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-stats/files/australias-migration-program-2022-23-report.pdf
Department of Home Affairs. (2024). Migration Program planning levels 2024–25. Commonwealth of Australia. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/migration-program-planning-levels
Karp, P. (2025, September 18). Australia’s immigration is not out of control: It’s trending lower and has been for over a year. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/sep/18/australias-immigration-is-not-out-of-control-its-trending-lower-and-has-been-for-over-a-year
Karp, P., & McGowan, M. (2025, August 31). Neo-nazis and politicians among protesters at anti-immigration March for Australia rallies. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/aug/31/march-for-australia-neo-nazis-among-protesters-at-anti-immigration-rallies
Marmot, M., & Allen, J. (2020). COVID-19: Exposing and amplifying inequalities. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 74(9), 681–682. https://jech.bmj.com/content/74/9/681
McGowan, M. (2024, July 22). Sydney’s “ghost homes”: Thousands of houses sit empty while rents soar. ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-22/sydney-ghost-homes-vacant-houses/104076682
Refugee Council of Australia. (2024). Key facts about refugees and people seeking humanitarian protection. Refugee Council of Australia. https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/key-facts-about-refugees-and-people-seeking-humanitarian-protection
SBS News. (2024, November 15). Thousands of Palestinians fleeing war-torn Gaza denied Australian visas. Special Broadcasting Service. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/thousands-of-palestinians-fleeing-war-torn-gaza-denied-australian-visas/lqvktl19v
The Australia Institute. (2024). The housing crisis is turning into an inequality crisis. The Australia Institute. https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/the-housing-crisis-is-turning-into-an-inequality-crisis
The Lancet Public Health. (2023). Inequality and health outcomes: The structural determinants. The Lancet Public Health, 8(6), e435–e436. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667%2823%2900157-3/fulltext
Wikipedia. (2024). Palestinian Australians. In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_Australians
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2022, June 28). 2021 Census: Nearly half of Australians have a parent born overseas. Australian Bureau of Statistics. https://www.abs.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/2021-census-nearly-half-australians-have-parent-born-overseas
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2024, June 30). Australia’s population by country of birth. Australian Bureau of Statistics. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/australias-population-country-birth/latest-release
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2024, March). Building activity, Australia: March 2024. Australian Bureau of Statistics. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/building-and-construction/building-activity-australia/latest-release
Baxter, J., & Sullivan, D. (2022). Housing affordability stress and mental health: Evidence from Australian renters. arXiv preprint arXiv:2205.01255. https://arxiv.org/abs/2205.01255
CathNews. (2025, January 21). Australia grants almost 1000 humanitarian visas to people fleeing Gaza conflict. CathNews. https://cathnews.com/2025/01/21/australia-grants-almost-1000-humanitarian-visas-to-people-fleeing-gaza-conflict
Department of Home Affairs. (2023). Australia’s Migration Program 2022–23 Report. Commonwealth of Australia. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-stats/files/australias-migration-program-2022-23-report.pdf
Department of Home Affairs. (2024). Migration Program planning levels 2024–25. Commonwealth of Australia. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/migration-program-planning-levels
Karp, P. (2025, September 18). Australia’s immigration is not out of control: It’s trending lower and has been for over a year. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/sep/18/australias-immigration-is-not-out-of-control-its-trending-lower-and-has-been-for-over-a-year
Karp, P., & McGowan, M. (2025, August 31). Neo-nazis and politicians among protesters at anti-immigration March for Australia rallies. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/aug/31/march-for-australia-neo-nazis-among-protesters-at-anti-immigration-rallies
Marmot, M., & Allen, J. (2020). COVID-19: Exposing and amplifying inequalities. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 74(9), 681–682. https://jech.bmj.com/content/74/9/681
McGowan, M. (2024, July 22). Sydney’s “ghost homes”: Thousands of houses sit empty while rents soar. ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-22/sydney-ghost-homes-vacant-houses/104076682
Refugee Council of Australia. (2024). Key facts about refugees and people seeking humanitarian protection. Refugee Council of Australia. https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/key-facts-about-refugees-and-people-seeking-humanitarian-protection
SBS News. (2024, November 15). Thousands of Palestinians fleeing war-torn Gaza denied Australian visas. Special Broadcasting Service. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/thousands-of-palestinians-fleeing-war-torn-gaza-denied-australian-visas/lqvktl19v
The Australia Institute. (2024). The housing crisis is turning into an inequality crisis. The Australia Institute. https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/the-housing-crisis-is-turning-into-an-inequality-crisis
The Lancet Public Health. (2023). Inequality and health outcomes: The structural determinants. The Lancet Public Health, 8(6), e435–e436. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667%2823%2900157-3/fulltext
Wikipedia. (2024). Palestinian Australians. In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_Australians
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