Coalition MPs have conceded that the party's recently announced immigration policy has not been fully costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO). This comes despite Angus Taylor, a Coalition MP, defending the plan as “budget neutral”.
Taylor and deputy Liberal leader Jane Hume have stated that the Coalition “worked closely” with the PBO on the plan, which aims to reduce net overseas migration to 100,000 for two years. The policy, announced on Tuesday, would then see migration rates of 130,000 in the third year and 160,000 in the fourth.
Taylor's office indicated plans to have the policy fully costed before the next federal election, having used internal analysis and existing costings during its development. Coalition sources informed Guardian Australia that the PBO had not conducted a full analysis of the new policy prior to its release. The PBO declined to comment on Wednesday.