Australian Opposition Vows 'Biggest Cut to Immigration' in Country's History
Australia's opposition Liberal-National Coalition unveiled its migration policy on 6 October 2026, proposing deep cuts to temporary and humanitarian visas while prioritising skilled workers. Reuters reported that the Coalition described the plan as the biggest cut to immigration in the country's history: temporary visas would be cut by 650,000 over four years, and annual net overseas migration brought down to 100,000 for two years, around one-third of its current level, before rising to 160,000 in year four.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor told a press conference the plan would take pressure off housing, roads, schools and infrastructure and give the country breathing space. Under the proposal, humanitarian visa places would be halved to 10,000, international student enrolments capped at 240,000, and the temporary graduate visa abolished. At the same time, temporary skilled visas would rise by 100,000 and a backlog of construction worker visas would be cleared.
The proposal comes amid debate over high living costs and housing shortages. The far-right One Nation party, which has outpolled the Coalition in recent surveys and pledged to cut temporary migration by 750,000 over three years, has added pressure on the conservative bloc. The Coalition plan goes further than the Labor government's proposal last month to bring annual net migration down to 225,000 by 2028.
Migration policy is closely watched by Australia's Chinese community, since changes to student and skilled visa settings directly affect many Chinese students, workers and families living in Australia. The contest over migration numbers is expected to be a central issue at the next federal election.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：澳大利亚堪培拉国会大厦区（前景为旧国会大厦）。摄影：Dietmar Rabich，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
