WHAT WAS CLAIMED
The Albanese government has brought more yoga teachers into the country than construction workers.
OUR VERDICT
False. A maximum of four yoga teachers have come to Australia under the skilled migration program, compared to thousands of construction workers.
AAP FACTCHECK - The Albanese government has not brought in more yoga teachers than builders since first being elected in 2022, despite the claims of a Liberal senator.
Department of Home Affairs data shows thousands of building workers have come to Australia on skilled visas, compared to a maximum of four yoga instructors since July 1, 2022.
Shadow housing minister Andrew Bragg made the false claim twice in an interview with ABC Newcastle on October 15 when criticising the government's housing policies.
He said a shortage of builders is one reason for an undersupply of housing and criticised the Albanese government for not bringing in enough construction workers.
"We've brought in more yoga teachers than construction workers under this government," he said (time stamp three hours, five minutes and 48 seconds).
Senator Bragg made the same claim previously in an interview with the ABC on October 1, while other senior coalition members have made similar statements in the past.
When AAP FactCheck asked for evidence, Senator Bragg's office said yoga teachers outnumbered construction workers when factoring in "workforce size".
His office claimed 69 yoga teachers had emigrated to Australia in 2023/24 out of an active workforce of "around 5000", which would be a 1.4 per cent increase to that workforce.
"By comparison, the intake of 11,349 skilled construction workers [in 2023/24] increased the construction workforce [of 1.33 million] by only about 0.8 per cent," Senator Bragg's office said.
The Sydney Morning Herald also reported in 2024 that 69 yoga teachers and other sports instructors - including diving instructors and sports umpires - migrated to Australia in 2023/24.
A Department of Home Affairs spokesperson told AAP FactCheck yoga instructors became eligible to enter Australia on a temporary skilled visa in late 2022 under an economic and trade agreement signed with India under the Morrison government.
Only Indian nationals are eligible to apply for visas as yoga instructors under the "Other Sports Coaches and Instructors" occupation category.
However, data from the Department of Home Affairs shows that "less than five" Indian nationals were granted visas in this category.
While this figure may include yoga teachers, it could also cover coaches of other sports such as basketball or cricket.
Home Affairs withholds exact numbers when totals are this low for privacy reasons.
The "less than five" were all granted in 2023/24 - no visas under the "Other Sports Coaches and Instructors" category were granted to Indian nationals in 2022/23 or 2024/25, the official data shows.
Therefore, the maximum number of yoga teachers who could have been granted visas under the government is four.
In contrast, thousands of skilled visas have been granted to workers in construction and building occupations, with the numbers varying depending on which jobs are included.
A total of 10,589 visas were granted to construction sector workers in 2022/23 alone, while 11,349 were approved in 2023/24 and 15,524 in 2024/25, according to Department of Home Affairs data.
In total, that's 37,462 visas to construction sector workers under the government.
This figure also includes workers who are not strictly building houses and includes mining labourers as well as civil engineers.
But even when assessing occupations that are most closely tied to residential construction, the number of visas awarded still far outnumbers the maximum number of skilled visas granted to yoga teachers.
There were 12,223 skilled visas given specifically to construction trades workers between 2022/23 and 2024/25, according to Department of Home Affairs data.
A further 2508 skilled visas were given to construction managers.
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