One Nation MP David Farley said his party's immigration rate under Pauline Hanson would be 'not too different' from Labor or the Coalition, describing a combined target of about 230,000 arrivals a year that is close to the government's own forecast of 225,000 by 2028.
One Nation MP says party's migration target close to government's 225,000 figure
One Nation MP David Farley said his party's immigration rate under Pauline Hanson would be 'not too different' from Labor or the Coalition, describing a combined target of about 230,000 arrivals a year that is close to the government's own forecast of 225,000 by 2028.
Farley told ABC Insiders that One Nation would set a net overseas migration rate of about 130,000, plus 'a minimum' of 100,000 skilled workers under established visa schemes, arriving at a total of roughly 230,000. He cited about 40,000 migrants under the Pacific workers visa and about 68,000 to 70,000 skilled aged care, mechanical, and engineering workers as components of that 100,000 figure.
Net overseas migration, as described in the source, counts the total number of people entering Australia intending to stay at least a year minus those leaving, and includes arrivals under programs such as working holiday-maker visas, the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme, and skilled worker visas.
Farley said the key distinction was not the overall number but the intended placement of migrants. 'The raw number is not too different, but the reality is where do we need them. We don't need them in the great urban metroplex. We need them out to be productive, working out in agriculture, engineering, mining, etc,' he said. 'The big difference is we are focusing on what are the skills we need as a nation.'
The government has forecast net overseas migration returning to about 225,000 by 2028, though it has repeatedly overshot those forecasts, particularly following the reopening of international borders after the COVID-19 pandemic. The government is also planning reforms to further tighten temporary visas to bring migration down from 300,000, though those reforms were postponed and remain to be settled by cabinet. In July, the government issued a directive prioritising people already onshore for visa processing, slowing overseas arrivals including for skilled workers in nursing and teaching.
The Coalition has not yet set a specific migration target but has said it intends to tie migration rates to housing construction, restricting arrivals to the pace of housing completions in the previous year. One Nation has also indicated it would restrict migration from countries it deems higher risk, with the party suggesting it could use travel advisories to determine which countries would be affected.
- The source does not state the government's or the Coalition's formal response to Farley's specific figures.
- The source does not state whether One Nation has published a formal migration policy document setting out these figures.
- The source does not state how One Nation would administer or enforce the geographic placement of migrants in regional or non-urban areas.
- The source does not state which countries One Nation would deem higher risk or what threshold of travel advice would trigger migration restrictions.
- The source does not state the current net overseas migration figure at the time of publication, only that it stood at 300,000 as the government's baseline for its reduction target.
- The source does not state when the government's postponed temporary visa reform measures are expected to be brought back to cabinet.
Read the original at ABC News Australia