One Nation pledges to slash migrant intake by 750,000, sparking economic concerns

One Nation proposes to reduce Australia’s temporary migrant population by over 750,000 within three years, focusing on international students and relatives of skilled workers through a net‑negative immigration approach.

Business and agricultural groups warn that the proposal would harm the economy, weaken essential services, and fail to improve living standards for Australians.

Labor and the Coalition warned that the plan, unveiled Monday morning, would damage regional economies, cut staffing in construction, health, aged care and disability services, and risk triggering a recession.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said the policy would “reset” Australia’s immigration system and alleviate pressure on housing and public services.

Hanson explained that temporary visa numbers would be rolled back to 2017 levels, creating a net‑negative migration rate for the first three years, which would cap net overseas migration at 130,000.

The announcement arrives as Labor and the Coalition weigh their own cuts to overseas arrivals amid a heated pre‑federal‑election climate, with Hanson aiming to gain traction ahead of the November Victorian state election.

Hanson said, “I know Australians are doing it tough. Families compete with hundreds for rental housing, patients wait in ambulances due to bed shortages, and young Australians struggle to buy homes as wages and infrastructure lag behind.”

The plan aims to cut student visas — including those for accompanying family members — to 350,000 over three years; education department figures show roughly 680,000 international students were enrolled from January to May this year.

A new graduate student visa category would be introduced, limited to 20,000 issuances annually, with the goal of lowering graduate visa numbers from 270,000 down to 40,000.

The policy could also drive division within One Nation, with the lower house MP David Farley previously expressing concern that big cuts to immigration could deny his electorate of Farrer the workers needed to care for elderly people and work on farms.

Hanson said One Nation would give “illegal migrants” three months to leave, with those who departed voluntarily would be allowed to apply for visas in the future.

“Those who remain unlawfully after this period will be subject to immigration enforcement and a lifetime ban from re-entering Australia,” she said.

The Pacific labour mobility scheme for agriculture would remain in place under One Nation’s plan but temporary skilled migrants would lose the ability to apply for visas for family members.

“We will take back control of who comes here and how many we accept, train more Australians, restore living standards and put the safety and security of Australians first.”

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the opposition leader, Angus Taylor, have held talks on Labor’s delayed migration package. It is expected to further drive down net overseas migration.

Labor, however, has struggled to finalise its own plan, postponing its announcement by over a month.

One Nation’s policy drew widespread criticism from business groups.

Bran Black, head of the Business Council of Australia, warned that migrants are essential for economic growth.

“The starting point for any conversation with respect to migration cannot simply have the objective of cutting numbers, it has to be, how do we go about delivering the growth that ultimately locks in and secures our way of life,” he said.

Andrew McKellar, chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the business community would not back damaging cuts.

“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. 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.”

Hamish McIntyre, president of the National Farmers’ Federation, warned that food prices could rise as a result of worker shortages.

“One in seven employees on our farms across regional Australia now are working holidaymakers or backpackers,” he told Channel Nine.

“We need these people now.

“It’ll prohibit us from planting some of these crops. We rely on these people. We won’t be able to take the risks to spend all the money, we spend up front obviously to produce these crops, so we’re not going to take a risk if we can’t harvest them.”

Taylor dismissed the policy as “absolute nonsense”.

“I’m interested to know the details of One Nation’s plan. I don’t know what their non-numbers were. A few days ago, their immigration numbers were 130,000. Now it’s something different. Well, what is it, each year over the next three or four years?

“What are those numbers? They’re not in their releases. They need to explain it.”

The health minister, Mark Butler, warned that One Nation’s cuts would kill critical industries.

“Pauline Hanson said a few weeks ago, she didn’t care what the impact of her migration policy would be on business but this is just another level entirely.

“This is going to smash industries like construction. It would devastate the health sector and aged care and disability.”

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