On Tuesday, the Australian Coalition unveiled a new immigration policy, which its leader, Angus Taylor, described as "the largest cut to immigration in Australian history." The plan proposes to reduce net overseas migration (Nom) by 60,000 more people than the reductions suggested by Peter Dutton before the 2025 election.
Under Taylor's plan, Nom would initially be set at 100,000 people in the first two years of a Coalition government, increasing to 130,000 in year three and 160,000 in year four. The policy also aims to cut approximately 650,000 temporary visa holders over four years and halve humanitarian visa places to 10,000 annually from Labor's current cap of 20,000.
However, the plan has drawn criticism. Alan Gamlen, an immigration expert from Australian National University, stated that achieving such large-scale cuts would be challenging for an incoming government and would likely lead to economic disadvantages. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Andrew McKellar also expressed concerns, saying that arbitrary Nom targets were misguided and would harm the economy.