Coalition to Unveil Migration Cuts Before Christmas, Targeting 100,000 Annual Reduction
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The federal Coalition will announce plans to reduce Australia’s net migration intake by at least 100,000 people annually before Christmas, with cuts targeting international students, non-skilled workers and potentially the humanitarian program, a senior Liberal senator revealed Tuesday during a Sky News interview.
Senator Jonathon Duniam, the Liberal senator from Tasmania who is developing the Coalition’s migration policy, confirmed the opposition will unveil a comprehensive immigration overhaul within weeks that ties migration levels directly to Australia’s capacity to provide housing, healthcare and education infrastructure.
The policy framework represents a significant departure from Labor’s current approach, which Duniam criticized as opaque and lacking clear targets. Australia’s most recent migration data shows net overseas migration at 316,000 people annually, approximately 100,000 above the 10-year average.
“Our policy will see a reduction in numbers,” Duniam told Sky News First Edition. “What we want to do before we pluck a number out of thin air is work through some pretty basic elements of what Australia can do when it comes to bringing in new Australians.”
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The Coalition’s approach will reverse-engineer migration targets by first assessing national capacity across key infrastructure sectors. This includes determining available housing stock over coming years, consulting state and territory governments on healthcare system capacity, and evaluating school resources for immigrant families.
“Figure out how many houses we’ve got coming online over the next couple of years. Figure out with state and territory governments how our health systems can cater for new Australians,” Duniam explained. “If we can’t figure those things out, how on earth can you set a number?”
The senator indicated Opposition Leader Sussan Ley (Liberal, Farrer, NSW) has tasked him with finalizing the migration policy, which he expects to present to the Coalition party room in coming weeks before public announcement ahead of the Christmas parliamentary break.
International student visa programs have emerged as a primary target for reductions. Duniam acknowledged that universities have substantially profited from international student fees, sometimes at the expense of domestic student opportunities.
“There has been a problem with international students for quite some time,” he said. “We know that there are some universities that have filled their boots well and truly when it comes to the money-making that comes out of international students, to the detriment of Australian students, and so that needs to be rebalanced.”
However, Duniam declined to specify exact reduction targets for particular visa categories, stating the Coalition would not “randomly pick cohorts” but would instead identify Australia’s genuine skills needs across industries and geographic regions.
The policy will prioritize skilled migration aligned with workforce gaps, particularly in regional areas. Duniam noted that industry groups consistently report the current immigration system fails to deliver required skill sets efficiently.
“Any industry group you talk to say the immigration system is failing. It doesn’t work for them. It doesn’t bring in the skills they need,” he said. “We’ve got to figure out where the holes are, both in terms of skill sets and industries, but also geographically. Where in the country do we need to send people to bolster workforce?”
The Coalition’s approach marks a sharp contrast with the Albanese government’s migration management, which Duniam characterized as lacking transparency and clear public targets. He emphasized the opposition aims to remove fear and divisiveness from the immigration debate through transparent planning.
“We want to be open with Australian people. We want to take the fear out of this debate and the divisiveness out of it,” Duniam stated. “It’s just got to be a common sense approach that actually works and provides a sustainable approach to immigration that works for people here and people who want to come here.”
The timing of the announcement positions migration as a central election issue, with the Coalition seeking to capitalize on public concerns about housing affordability, healthcare wait times and infrastructure strain in major cities.
Opposition Treasury spokesman Ted O’Brien (Liberal, Fadden, Queensland) and Shadow Home Affairs Minister Andrew Hastie (Liberal, Canning, Western Australia) are expected to coordinate on the policy’s economic and security dimensions respectively.
The 100,000 annual reduction target would represent approximately one-third of current net migration levels, bringing Australia closer to historical averages. However, the precise reduction figure remains subject to final policy determination following party room consultation.
Duniam emphasized the Coalition would explain its methodology to Australians rather than simply announcing arbitrary targets, allowing public scrutiny of the capacity-based framework underpinning migration decisions.
“We’re going to explain to Australians how we’ll get to the number and how we’ll do it in Australia’s interests,” he said.
The policy development occurs as net overseas migration has become increasingly contentious politically, with both major parties acknowledging current levels strain infrastructure while supporting continued immigration at sustainable levels.
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