Budget: population porkies for Big Australia

Fib: Big immigration's great for the economy

Australia bragged a miracle 28 years of growth. Though we managed the GFC, said growth disguised three GDP recessions, relative to population. Potentially, another looms.

Were mass migration an economic bonanza, OECD nations would copy, not ignore.

Treasury trumpets the average migrant's $2m lifetime GDP contribution. Outside each Budget sits the $100,000 fiscal burden, conservatively estimated, each added migrant would incur. Mass migration is fenced off from Budget repair.

Headwinds against 21^st century productivity growth are global. Big Australia 2005-2020 was unrewarding, for its low productivity growth, stalling wages growth, chronic housing unaffordability . Ultra-rewarding for profits.

Nominally, we're among the world's richest people. Flipside, increasing inequality and world-beating household debt.

Depleted manufacturing has gone further backwards this century. Albanese gunning population won't get us making things.

Scarred by the miners' Kevin Rudd ouster, the Treasurer will keep marrying timid resources levies to swingeing immigration targets. While Albanese amplifies the Ross Garnaut spiel: Australia the "zero carbon" superpower.

Fib: "Congestion-busting" and "decentralisation" manage big immigration

Morrison's population plan vaunted "congestion-busting" and "decentralisation". Albanese, once Rudd's Infrastructure Minister, is another congestion-buster.

In highly urbanised Australia, Sydney-Melbourne has long captured about 40% of population. In 2018-19, nearly two-thirds of 240,000 net migration gravitated there.

Analysis debunks congestion-busting "catching up" city population surges. Property-rich politicians don't care. They outsource city in-migration to the habitually under-serviced western (or ring) suburbs. Eastern, in Perth.