Angus Taylor released the Coalition's migration policy on Tuesday. According to the Herald, the AFR and the Guardian, net overseas migration would be cut to 100,000 a year, rising to about 160,000 by year four; outlets differ on whether the 100,000 level applies for one year or two. The Guardian reports that the stock of temporary visa holders would fall by about 650,000 over four years. Other reported measures are abolishing temporary graduate visas, restricting international students, requiring most visa applications to be lodged offshore and largely eliminating bridging visas. The permanent skilled program would stay capped at 185,000. Net overseas migration was 292,100 in the year to March. Labor's target is 225,000, and One Nation proposes 130,000 a year and 750,000 fewer temporary visas over three years. Independent MP Monique Ryan said the race to the bottom on immigration was on between the Liberals and One Nation. Labor and One Nation attacked the plan.
Migration touches housing, wages, universities and the budget, and both major parties now accept that lower is the direction. The dispute is about how low and how fast, and about whether the economy can absorb the change without harm. A target this low would cut demand for rentals and also supply for farms, aged care and campuses.
If you rent near a university, employ temporary workers or work in aged care, hospitality or farming, this will shape your next few years. If you are on a temporary visa, nothing changes today: this is an Opposition promise, not law.
Arrivals have run well ahead of homes and services. A hard number, with an end to visa hopping and open-ended bridging visas, restores control and voter trust.
The cuts are deep, they chase One Nation's agenda rather than make a case, and they could hurt universities, farms and care services that depend on migrants. Several commentators say the economics do not add up.
Two things to look for in the detail: the length of time the 100,000 figure applies, and how students already enrolled are treated. The first sets the economic effect. The second tells you whether the plan is an announcement or a policy.
Sydney Morning Herald · Australian Financial Review · The Guardian · The Age · Regional ACM papers (Canberra Times, Illawarra Mercury) · AAP (Albanese on Monday in Perth) · Independent MP's statement as reported · Plan detail varies by outlet
The Coalition promises the biggest migration cut in Australian history, to 100,000 a year, and 650,000 fewer temporary visa holders
Angus Taylor's plan undercuts Labor's 225,000 target and borrows from One Nation. Labor and One Nation fired back within hours, and independent MP Monique Ryan called it a race to the bottom.
Angus Taylor unveiled the Coalition's migration policy on Tuesday and called it the biggest cut in Australian history. The Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian Financial Review and the Guardian all reported the core of it: net overseas migration would fall to 100,000 a year, then rise to about 160,000 by the fourth year. Outlets differ on how long the 100,000 level would last, one or two years. The plan would also cut the stock of temporary visa holders by about 650,000 over four years, according to the Guardian, abolish temporary graduate visas, restrict secondary applicants among international students, require most visa applications to be made from offshore to stop what is known as visa hopping, and largely eliminate bridging visas. Reports say the permanent skilled program would stay capped at 185,000 places.
The numbers need context. Net overseas migration was 292,100 in the year to March, according to figures cited in the coverage, so 100,000 is roughly a two-thirds cut. Labor's target is 225,000, and on Monday in Perth the Prime Minister said the government is working over two years towards it and has already cut net migration by 45 per cent. One Nation's policy is a cap of 130,000 a year and 750,000 fewer temporary visas over three years. Mr Taylor's plan therefore sits between the two on some measures and below both on its first-year number, which is why the Herald described a three-way battle in which Labor and One Nation both attacked it.
The argument has moved from whether to cut to by how much. Mr Taylor told reporters, as the AFR reported, that the cut would not hurt the economy. That claim is contested. A Herald commentary headlined that the proposed cuts make zero economic sense, while AFR commentary called the plan the safest course and another piece said the Coalition had taken the beaten path to the middle. The AFR also reported that the education sector faces a bleak future as the parties unite on student cuts. A Herald column recalled that Andrew Hastie warned the party a year ago on this issue, concluding that Mr Taylor has a solid plan but Pauline Hanson has the voters. The Guardian's analysis went further, arguing the plan drags Australian politics to the right and that it is all upside for One Nation.
Net overseas migration is arrivals minus departures, so it falls when fewer people arrive or more leave. It reached a record 538,000 in 2022–23 and 309,500 in the year to March 2025, so 100,000 would be a fraction of recent levels, a result that only deep cuts in student and temporary-worker arrivals could deliver. That is why the policy concentrates on temporary visas rather than the permanent program, and why universities and employers who rely on them were the first to respond.
Reports at press time did not include costings or transition arrangements for current students. Immigration, the Herald said, is set to be a battleground issue at the next federal election.