LNP’s AUSTRALIA-FIRST MIGRATION PLAN TO CUT THE NUMBERS AND RAISE THE STANDARDS

For too many Australian families, the dream of owning a home, finding an affordable rental or simply getting a place at the local school is becoming harder to achieve. At the same time, our roads, hospitals, schools and other essential services are struggling to keep pace with a rapidly growing population.

Since Labor was elected, around 1.5 million additional people have come to Australia, roughly the population of Adelaide. Every year the Albanese government has been in power, migration has been higher than the government said it would be.

One in ten people living in Australia is now on a temporary visa. This is unsustainable.

Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox MP, said communities across Dawson were seeing the consequences of a migration program that had grown beyond Australia’s capacity to house and support new arrivals.

“If you’re struggling to buy a home, find a rental or get the services you need in our community, Australia’s migration program matters to you,” Mr Willcox said.

“Under Labor, the numbers have been too high and the standards too low. Our housing, roads, public transport, hospitals and schools can’t keep up.

“Migration is important, but it needs to put Australia first.”

Mr Willcox said that the Liberals and Nationals’ Australia-First Migration Plan, which was announced this week, will cut net overseas migration to 100,000 a year for the first two years, before levelling out at around 160,000 in year four.

“The plan will also reduce the number of temporary visa holders by around 650,000 over four years and keep the permanent migration program capped at 185,000 places a year,” Mr Willcox added.

“This isn’t just about cutting the numbers. It’s about bringing in the right people, in the right numbers, with a focus on the skills Australia needs.”

The plan will prioritise higher-skilled migrants, including skilled partners and employer-sponsored workers, with stronger standards around income, age, English and full-time work.

It will also create 15,000 Skilled Project Visas each year to help fill workforce shortages on major projects, while protecting regional migration programs supporting agriculture, health, tourism and hospitality where Australia has genuine workforce needs.

The plan will abolish Temporary Graduate Visas, reduce international student migration and tighten temporary visa rules so they remain genuinely temporary.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said the migration system should deliver a stronger economy without leaving Australians worse off.

“We need skilled migration, not mass migration. We will prioritise migrants with the skills Australia needs, who share our values and are committed to contributing to our country,” Mr Taylor said.

“Migration should strengthen our economy, fill critical skills gaps and help build a better Australia. It should not put further pressure on housing and essential services or leave Australians worse off.”

Nationals Leader, Senator Matt Canavan, said the migration system must put Australian workers at the centre of the equation.

“Labor has let too many people into our country. Labor's mass migration has pushed down wages, hurt living standards and led to a temporary guest worker class that is eroding our social harmony,” Senator Canavan said.

“It is un-Australian to rely on cheap, foreign labour to boost our economic performance like Labor is doing. We will restore the traditional, Australian approach to migration which targets the skills we need without undermining a fair go for Australian workers.”

Mr Willcox said the Coalition’s plan would bring migration back into line with Australia’s ability to provide homes, infrastructure and essential services, while ensuring genuine skills shortages could still be addressed.

“That means bringing in higher-skilled migrants, ending the guest-worker model, making temporary visas genuinely temporary and ensuring migration does not outpace our capacity to build homes and provide services.

“We’ll back people who want to make Australia home, contribute to our country and share our aspirations and way of life.

“Our plan is about getting migration back under control and making sure it works for communities like ours.

“I want Dawson to have the homes, roads, public transport, health care and schools it needs, and young people to have a real chance to own a home here one day.

“We need the right people, with the right skills, in numbers Australia can support.”

The Australia-First Migration Plan is part of the Coalition’s plan to fix our economy and protect our way of life.

ENDS

Contact: Amanda Wright | Media & Communications Adviser
P | 07 4944 0662   M | 0455 456 705   E | Amanda.Wright@aph.gov.au