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Coalition set to unveil deeper migration cuts as it fends off One Nation

Net overseas migration target to sit below Labor's but above One Nation's 130,000 goal

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
Sources6 outlets
The Coalition is expected to reveal deep cuts to immigration on Tuesday, proposing a net overseas migration target significantly below Labor's while stopping short of One Nation's demand to limit net arrivals to 130,000 people a year, as it seeks to blunt the minor party's rise.

Opposition leader Angus Taylor is expected to unveil the policy after signoff from Liberal and National MPs in a special party room meeting convened this morning. Liberal sources told Guardian Australia the Coalition's target for net overseas migration would be markedly lower than Labor's, but not cut as deeply as One Nation's plan.

The Nine newspapers reported the Coalition would initially drop net migration to around 100,000 in the first year after the election, before it rose again to a figure between One Nation's 130,000 and Labor's target of 225,000.

As previously announced by Taylor, the number of new arrivals will be linked to housing completions in Australia. The plan is likely to contain the largest cuts in the first year, in an effort to make an immediate impact on net overseas migration. Coalition sources say the policy would maintain working holidaymaker places and prioritise skills.

Foreign students and people overstaying their visas will be part of the crackdown, along with measures to remove individuals without a legal pathway to stay. Last year Australia issued more than 337,000 international student visas, of which about 45,000 went to dependants or family members of the primary applicant.

The details have sparked a bitter war of words between the two conservative parties. Shadow home affairs minister Jonno Duniam claimed One Nation's policy would "trash the economy with absolute disregard".

One Nation announced last month it would cut the number of temporary migrants by more than 750,000 over three years, targeting international students and family members of skilled migrants.

Labor's plan, outlined by home affairs minister Tony Burke, aims to bring net overseas migration down to 245,000 this financial year and 225,000 in 2027-28. Most students would not be allowed to bring family members, and so-called visa hopping would be banned. Nationals MPs have warned Labor's limits on second and third-year working holidaymakers would badly hurt regional industries including fruit picking, and have pushed for carve-outs.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The policy sets the Coalition's stance on one of the defining issues of the election campaign, with immigration levels directly affecting housing, wages and regional labour supply.
  • The tussle between the Coalition and One Nation shows how the minor party is shaping the migration debate from the right, pressuring the major parties to go further on cuts.
  • Net overseas migration targets have real consequences for universities, which rely on international student fees, and for regional industries dependent on working holidaymakers.

Background

Immigration has emerged as a central battleground in Australian federal politics, with Labor announcing its own plan to reduce net overseas migration earlier this year. The Coalition has been under pressure from One Nation, which last month proposed far deeper cuts targeting international students and temporary migrants. The parties are now competing to position themselves as tougher on arrivals while managing the economic fallout.

Key Perspectives

The Coalition: Argues deep cuts are needed to ease housing pressure and restore control over arrivals, while protecting skilled migration and working holidaymaker places to support regional industries. It says its target is a responsible middle ground between Labor and One Nation.

One Nation: Wants the most aggressive reduction, limiting net arrivals to 130,000 annually after an initial period of net negative migration, with more than 750,000 temporary migrants removed over three years.

Labor: Has framed its own target as balanced, but Nationals MPs have already warned that restrictions on working holidaymakers would hurt regional fruit-picking industries. Critics question whether any of the cuts could damage universities and the broader economy.

What to Watch

  • The exact Coalition target when the policy is formally unveiled on Tuesday, and how it is calibrated against housing completions.
  • The response from Labor and from university and regional industry groups to the proposed cuts.
  • Whether One Nation escalates its attacks on the Coalition plan as insufficient, and how the party room holds together on the final numbers.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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