One Nation’s plan to slash immigration by 750k over three years draws criticism from Labor, Liberals, business

One Nation is fending off claims its plan to slash the number of temporary visa holders by 750,000 would tip Australia into recession.

Leader Pauline Hanson on Monday unveiled her party’s push to substantially reduce Australia’s temporary migrant population, promising the move will take pressure off housing and essential services — and restore clear limits to the system.

Labor, the Coalition, business groups and farmers lined up to attack the newly released policy.

“Vested interests and elite economists will shriek at the prospect of these cuts. But Canada has shown you can cut migrant numbers, take pressure off rents and still grow the economy,” Senator Hanson said in a statement.

To reduce Australia’s temporary migrant population, One Nation’s policy includes measures such as restricting numbers and tightening eligibility criteria for student and graduate visas.

The ability of temporary students, graduates and skilled workers to sponsor family and dependants to Australia would also be substantially restricted and One Nation says it would end the practice of “temporary visa hopping”.

Under One Nation’s plan, once the temporary visa population is reduced by approximately 750,000 over three years, a net overseas migration ceiling of 130,000 per year would remain in place and be reviewed yearly.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor immediately labelled the plan “half-baked” when asked if he was concerned that One Nation was repeatedly setting the policy agenda, and amid fears the minor party was stealing ideas drawn up by his predecessor Sussan Ley.

“I mean, we don’t have the answers to the most fundamental questions, as we didn’t with their tobacco policies,” Mr Taylor told reporters in the New South Wales township of Googong, outside Canberra.

“I am deeply concerned about what it means for individual farmers, for individual businesses, for builders, for pub owners, for cafe owners. I mean, they need to explain all this.”

Agricultural Minister Murray Watt warned the plan would “kill the Australian economy and kill regional economies in particular”, while his Labor colleague and Health Minister Mark Butler said it would hit industries already heavily reliant on migrant workers.

“This would absolutely smash industries, like construction, that rely very heavily on migrant workers but also devastate health and aged care and disability sectors that particularly rely on migrant workers — especially in rural communities where it’s very difficult to find Australian trained doctors,” Mr Butler told Channel Nine.

“Pauline Hanson said a few weeks ago she didn’t care what the impact on business would be of her migration policies. But this, frankly, is another level.”

National Farmers Federation boss Hamish McIntyre also warned One Nation’s drastic cuts to the country’s migration intake would push up food prices and worsen labour shortages across regional Australia.

“One in seven employees on our farms across regional Australia now are working holidaymakers or backpackers particularly. We need these people now,” he told Nine’s Today.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry backed efforts to “restore the integrity” of the migration system but rejected One Nation’s proposed cuts.

“The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry does not support wholesale cuts to Australia’s migration program to meet an arbitrary Net Overseas Migration number,” ACCI chief executive Andrew McKellar said.

“Major cuts that reduce skilled migration would damage our economy, hit the Budget and weaken our capacity to provide services for, and lift, living standards for Australians.”

Mr McKellar stressed that the cuts would put Australian business across multiple sectors at risk.

“Many Australian businesses would be put at risk by major cuts to the migration program. Pubs, cafes, hotels, and accommodation providers desperately need chefs. Aged care homes and hospitals are short of staff already,” he added.

“Farmers and resources sector businesses continue to face persistent workforce shortages. Housing projects are being held up, while others remain unviable because of lack of workforce and skills shortages.”

Responding to the widespread criticism of his party’s immigration overhaul, One Nation’s Treasury spokesperson Barnaby Joyce rejected suggestions the policy would hammer Australia’s economic growth.

“If you’ve got 3 million temporary visa holders in Australia, that’s more than half the population of Sydney. How many people honestly believe that is tenable? And it’s gone up from 2022 from 2 million, which is already massive, to 3 million now.”

Asked whether One Nation’s plan involved deporting tens of thousands of immigrants, Mr Joyce insisted the primary driver of his party’s plan was a reduction in the issuing of new visas as well as stronger enforcement against those living in Australia unlawfully.

This week Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke is finally expected to outline Labor’s long-awaited plans on how it would reduce net overseas migration, which could include more US-style green card visa lotteries.

Labor sources say the lottery system has previously been used on some visa classes in Australia but could be expanded to other categories of temporary migrants, with Cabinet to discuss the matter during a meeting on Monday.

- with Chloe Maher