Peter Dutton’s pledge to relieve economic pressures is set to be scrutinised as the coalition seek to regain momentum before the federal election.
The opposition leader is promising a major announcement in Thursday’s budget reply speech with immigration and housing likely to be areas of focus.
Recent migration intakes had forced Australians out of the housing market while not enough homes were being built, Mr Dutton claimed.
“It’s meant that people are lining up for longer and paying more for rental properties,” he told reporters.
“It means that Australians have just given up on the dream of home ownership.”
Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor has declined to say whether the coalition will stick with its previously-outlined target of reducing net overseas migration by 25 per cent.
Ahead of handing down the budget on Tuesday, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government was “managing” migration down and recent figures showed about 10,000 fewer people had arrived than anticipated.
“The budget will update all of those forecasts but what they will show overall is the trajectory is down. That’s deliberate,” he told Sky News.
The government announced the expansion of its shared-equity scheme at the weekend, allowing aspiring home-owners to pay lower deposits on smaller loans and expanding the eligible incomes and price-caps.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is widely tipped to visit the governor-general by Sunday to fire the starting gun for a May poll.
Recent YouGov polling showed Mr Albanese consolidating his lead as preferred prime minister, but still predicted a tight election with voters evenly split between Labor and the coalition once preferences are factored in.
Energy prices are another issue the opposition could seek to hone in on with the budget to include an extension of government bill rebates.
Crossbench senators Jacqui Lambie and David Pocock will on Monday call for gas exports to be diverted to the domestic market.
“Most of our gas goes overseas and makes a bucket load of money for shareholders while Aussie businesses and householders are struggling to pay their power bills,” Senator Lambie said.
“It’s time to stop protecting the gas cartel and start protecting Australians.”
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